New Loyalty Program at Smithfield Foods Shines Spotlight on Brand’s History

When Smithfield Foods launched Smithfield Rewards, a new digital loyalty program that showcases the rich history and unique heritage of the Ham Capital of the World–Smithfield, VA−the prevailing theme was about educating its customers about the brand and its core values.

Powered by Helloworld, the platform rewards fans for purchasing the products they love–from hickory smoked bacon to flavorful fresh sausage–and allows them to virtually visit the town of Smithfield at Smithfield-Rewards.com to earn points and redeem their purchases for exciting prizes, including entries to monthly sweepstakes.

The Smithfield Rewards photo-realistic portal allows loyal fans to interact with the town’s real-life architectural structures, including the Taste of Smithfield, a restaurant and retailer where participants can manage their accounts and earn loyalty points.

Based in Smithfield, VA, Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. It is the leader in numerous packaged meats categories and its popular brands include Smithfield, Eckrich, Nathan’s Famous, Farmland, Armour, Cook’s, John Morrell, Gwaltney, Kretschmar, Margherita, Curly’s, Carando, and Healthy Ones.

Melanie Abel, brand director at Smithfield, talked to Loyalty360 about the launch of Smithfield Rewards.

“When creating Smithfield Rewards, it was important to showcase what makes the brand unique and, beyond the quality of our products, it’s the fact that Smithfield is still based in Smithfield, Virginia, the same town in which the company was founded more than 80 years ago,” Abel explained. “The rewards program allows consumers to virtually visit the town of Smithfield. Our customers are our top priority and we want to give them the opportunity to learn more about the brand. That means creating a space where we know more and more of them spend their time–online.”

Despite Smithfield’s long history, Abel said company officials know they must continue to innovate to maintain a relationship with their customers.

“We also want to thank those fans for their continued support by providing a way to turn their Smithfield purchases into rewards,” she said. 

Participants can sign up for an account by registering at Smithfield-Rewards.com. From there, they can earn points by purchasing Smithfield products or simply interacting with the site. For example: viewing recipe or video content, or taking a monthly survey. Points can be redeemed for a variety of prizes, including an entry into the grand prize sweepstakes of a $50,000 Kitchen Makeover. 

Why a digital loyalty program?

“As consumer tastes and trends evolve, our connection and interaction must evolve with them,” Abel said. “We know that consumers are increasingly interested in digital interactions and Smithfield Rewards provides fans with a unique way to engage with our brand, tailored to those preferences.”

Abel said customers have several choices at the grocery store, and Smithfield officials are excited to reward their loyal customers who choose Smithfield products to serve to their family and friends.

“It’s these continued purchases along with word-of-mouth recommendations–both verbally and digitally–that make our customers so important to us,” she added. 

From a customer experience perspective, Abel is very proud that the Smithfield has continued to innovate new and exciting ways to engage its customers and provide unique flavors that tailor to their tastes.

“It’s because of our customer loyalty that Smithfield has become the No. 2 bacon brand and we look forward to growing our other product lines through consumer trial,” she explained. “I’m also proud that we’ve had such a successful launch of the Smithfield Rewards program, which is unique to our competitors because it truly gives our consumers a view into the town we call home and the values for which our brand stands.”

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