A joint research project in 2014 explored community perceptions of the red meat processing industry, finding that 31% of respondents were open to working in the sector. ‘Meat. Your Future.’ arose as an opportunity to improve community perceptions of the red meat processing industry as a whole and a career option. The research found that the sector had low brand awareness, demonstrating negative perceptions and poor engagement from the community, and it needed to attract and retain competent workers in the long-term and maintain a social license to operate.
In conjunction with Seftons, the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) created the ‘Meat. Your Future.’ campaign targeting current workers/industry stakeholders, job seekers and regional communities.
The project involved ongoing media relations throughout the campaigns, six industry case studies who were also used as third party media spokespeople, and social media planning to promote the mini-campaigns. Marketing materials were created to support the campaign and for stakeholder engagement and social media purposes. These included posters, print advertisements, careers kits, the development of a logo and overall branding, community engagement kits and concepts for e-newsletters (for industry, careers and migrants), an awards program and events (such as careers expos and agricultural shows).
Through direct engagement and at two MINTRAC speaking events, industry stakeholders were encouraged to get involved by sharing their stories and nominating colleagues for case studies or ambassadors, all aimed to promote the industry and its many rewarding careers. They were also encouraged to lend their support by following the AMPC’s social media channels, sharing posts about ‘Meat. Your Future.’ and contributing to online discussion forums. Overall, the project was highly successful and resulted in more than 177 media clips, worth in excess of $635,014.92 in editorial value for the AMPC. Through media relations activities alone, at least 2,254,896 people were exposed to ‘Meat. Your Future.’ themed stories and messaging.