LAUREL, Miss. – The truth-telling effort continues this week, as Sanderson Farms' latest round of television spots begin airing around the country. As part of the company's common sense campaign, these latest spots once again seek to dispel commonly held myths among consumers regarding poultry production in America.
Sanderson Farms is not new to this effort. They began in 2016 with Bob and Dale, two friends who humorously took on issues such as labeling misconceptions, antibiotics and steroids, and marketing gimmicks prevalent in the poultry industry. In 2017, Sanderson Farms sought to appeal to consumers with a common-sense approach, telling the story of "Old McGimmick," which showed images of "gimmicky" chickens juxtaposed with "happy" Sanderson Farms chickens. These new spots, however, will once again seek to dispel common misconceptions by explaining the 'Why' behind poultry production. They will cover everything from what chickens prefer to eat and why, to price, freshness and bird health.
"We want to be transparent with our consumers so they understand why we do the things we do and how much care and consideration goes into the welfare of our birds," said Lampkin Butts, president of Sanderson Farms. "We believe there is a lot of confusion out there that the poultry industry, as a whole, helped create. We are simply trying to cut through that ambiguity with a common-sense, back-to-basics approach."
"We believe if we are transparent and tell our customers and consumers more about why we do what we do, they will not only have a better understanding of poultry production, but they will also be able to feel better about what they are feeding their families," said Hilary Burroughs, director of marketing at Sanderson Farms. "I am often amazed at how twisted the conversation of poultry production has gotten. The truth is, we partner with over 900 family farmers who live and work on real family-owned farms with their families and grow and look after our chickens. They would never engage in any activity that would harm these birds and potentially threaten their own livelihood."
This "truth-telling" message to consumers, encouraging them not to give in to the hype, seems to be working. With the capacity to process over 12.1 million chickens a week, and 4.3 billion lbs. of dressed poultry sold in fiscal year 2017 alone, sales continue to increase year-over-year. With a new facility coming online in early 2019 and expected to reach full capacity by 2020 in Tyler, Texas, the company continues to boast strong growth.
"There are a number of organizations that are willing to sacrifice the truth in order to push their own agenda, substituting soundbites for science. However, we believe if armed with the facts, consumers will make decisions based on facts, not myth or speculation," continued Butts.
About Sanderson Farms
Sanderson Farms, Inc., founded in 1947, is engaged in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of fresh and frozen chicken and other prepared food items. Employing more than 15,000 employees in operations spanning five states and 17 different cities, Sanderson Farms is the third largest poultry producer in the United States. As a company, Sanderson Farms is coSanderson Farms mmitted to adopting a fresh approach in everything that we do. Not only where products are concerned, but companywide as well. Though the company has grown in size, it still adheres to the same hometown values of honesty, integrity and innovation that were established when the Sanderson family founded the company back in 1947.
Source: Sanderson Farms