Smithfield is putting a fresh, bolder stake in the ground with its new “We Speak Pork” campaign, an effort designed to reintroduce the category to younger consumers while reinforcing the company’s long-standing authority in pork.
Marianne Radley, Smithfield’s managing director of marketing, told The Shelby Report that the campaign emerged after the company evaluated how the brand – founded in 1936 – could continue appealing to the next generation.
“As we’re looking at the brand, we’re seeing we’ve been around for more than 85 years,” she said. “And as we’re seeing our consumer base age in the brand, we really need to look at, how do we bring younger consumer sets into the brand?”
Smithfield conducted baseline consumer research – not for the campaign specifically but to better understand what resonates with Millennials and Gen Z and what they expect from brands today. The team focused on a segment it calls “culinary connectors,” younger consumers who gravitate toward bold flavors and global food trends.
“People are exposed to a lot more international, bolder flavors, more entertainment and various platforms, more messaging,” Radley said. “So as we were developing this campaign, in particular, it was about, let’s put a stake in the ground of what we stand for as Smithfield, that our pork and our pork products are so good, they speak for themselves.”
The result was a creative platform built around vibrant visuals, modern storytelling and a confident tone designed to meet younger consumers where they are.
Screen-lick-worthy creative
The video work behind the campaign leans heavily into appetite appeal.
“We had a lot of fun with those, a lot of fun,” Radley said. “I wanted the shots to be screen lick worthy.”
Smithfield partnered with director David Ma and director of photography Chloe Weaver – whose credits include “The Bear” and “Chef’s Table” – to capture high-definition, ultra-close-up visuals of bacon, marinated tenderloins and other cuts.
“We’re very deliberate, making sure we put together a production team that knows food, loves food, knows how to shoot it in the right way,” Radley said. “It was just a perfect marriage.”
The effort features actor Ben Schwartz as the voice of the campaign. Smithfield plans additional shoots tied to new product launches into 2026.
“This is an ongoing campaign,” Radley said. “It’s not just a one and done.”
Virginia-based Smithfield worked with the National Pork Board, whose recent messaging reframes pork as a flavorful, versatile and affordable choice across all cuts.
“I feel like it’s a one-two punch,” Radley said. “We need to do more work on educating consumers on not just the great taste and the versatility of pork products, but also the affordable options of them as well.”
Bringing pork education to retail 
Smithfield is rolling out in-store merchandising that highlights the “We Speak Pork” identity.
“We partner very closely with retailers,” Radley said. “We closely work with them in understanding what are their challenges … how we can partner with them to help bring new consumers into their stores, drive traffic and also help educate on the versatility of pork, the flavor of pork, the tremendous options you have but also the affordable price.”
Retail materials include display enhancers, shelf talkers, POS assets and bold product imagery. Smithfield is also supporting the campaign with digital streaming, radio and retailer-specific tags and digital displays.
“Our sales teams are working hard to get this in place,” she said. “Again, just kind of romance the product of pork a little bit more to get more shoppers to buy it.”
Innovation, including Mike’s Hot Honey collaboration
Smithfield’s innovation pipeline is centered on consumer needs – from convenience to price accessibility to culinary confidence.
“Sometimes companies do innovation for innovation’s sake, but we’re really focusing on, how do we innovate to make sure we’re meeting our consumers and new consumers where they are,” Radley said.
She pointed to marinated tenderloins and spiral hams as examples of effortless products that help younger consumers elevate everyday meals.
“You can actually take [our spiral hams] on a picnic and eat ham right from the wrapping with your friend. No need to heat,” she said.
On Oct. 1, Smithfield unveiled a collaboration with Mike’s Hot Honey: Smithfield Mike’s Hot Honey Bacon, which Radley described as a spotlight of the campaign.
Meeting young cooks where they learn
Recognizing that not all Millennials and Gen Z consumers grew up learning how to cook and specifically how to cook pork, Smithfield is using digital platforms to fill the gap.
“We have very simple cooking instructions, but we also on our social channels … are continually posting recipes and great suggestions on how to really serve our products,” Radley said.
The brand recently relaunched its website with the We Speak Pork look and feel, offering numerous recipes and meal ideas.
To Radley, the campaign is bigger than creative assets – it signals Smithfield’s role in American kitchens for generations.
“When you think about it, it’s from our bacon to our brats to our spiral hams. This campaign is really reinforcing Smithfield as a go-to pork authority in America’s kitchens and for tailgates and for holidays and for back to school,” she said. “We feel like this campaign is bold. It’s energetic. It celebrates our deep heritage but in a fun and fresh way.”
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