SALISBURY, Md. – Perdue Farms is continuing the ongoing discussions about the use of antibiotics in poultry farming. In an effort to promote its “No Antibiotics Ever” production practices, Perdue has launched new TV commercials that highlight the role herbs play in helping the company raise healthy chickens without using antibiotics.
The “It’s not the easy way, it’s the Perdue Way” commercials will star Perdue Chairman Jim Perdue, a Perdue flock specialist, a Perdue nutritionist and a lot of chickens. The campaign will also be promoted online and will highlight the efforts Perdue farmers go through to raise their chickens without the use of antibiotics.
The VIA Agency created the campaign which uses a chicken house as the setting for the commercials. “We were able to use the playful banter between Jim Perdue and real employees to get across to consumers a few of the many extra steps Perdue takes to raise chickens without any antibiotics,” said Dan Balin, group strategy director for the Portland, Maine-based agency.
Topics covered in the commercials include the antioxidant qualities of oregano and how the herb thyme can potentially support a chicken’s immune system.
“Thyme and oregano are just two of the innovative things we’ve done so that we don’t have to rely on antibiotics,” said Bruce Stewart-Brown, DVM, Perdue’s senior vice president of food safety, quality and live production. “We also use things like probiotics. When you take antibiotics out, you do have to put extra work in. We’ve made changes at every stage, and so have the farmers who raise our chickens. It’s takes a commitment by everyone involved, beginning with chicks that grow up to provide eggs to our hatcheries."
“If this were easy, all of our competitors would already be doing it,” said Eric Christianson, senior vice president of marketing and innovation.
The company had done previous consumer outreach to explain its No Antibiotics Ever policy. “Some of our competitors have responded by saying they’re not using certain antibiotics, or using them for one use but not another,” Christianson said. “Consumers shouldn’t have to be experts in antibiotics to know what they’re buying. Our Perdue No Antibiotics Ever products give them the transparency and assurance that they’re feeding their families poultry that never received any kind of antibiotic."
“Consumer questions about antibiotic use is not something new, and neither is our commitment to No Antibiotics Ever production,” Jim Perdue said. “We’ve been listening, and changing the way we raise animals. If it’s important to consumers; it’s important to us."
Here is another ad:
