Hormel Foods, the producer of the canned, precooked meat product known as SPAM®, has been working on a recipe exchange website as a continuation of its “Break the Monotony” campaign. The site aims to improve SPAM’s image and persuade more consumers to purchase the canned pork products.

The product name “SPAM” has the same spelling as the slang term for sending unsolicited emails, and Hormel insists that the trademark be spelt in uppercase letters to enable differentiation. Furthermore, “SPAM” is now officially described as an acronym for “Specially Processed Assorted Meat,” which aligns with its various ingredients.

The “Break the Monotony” campaign is comprised of print, TV and radio advertisements. Created to give consumers a better understanding of SPAM’s brand concept and product value, the ads have proven effective in increasing sales. Since corporate studies revealed that a lack of variety in recipe options prevented SPAM buyers from purchasing the product more often, the recipe exchange program was launched, helping SPAM garner a wider audience and more frequent purchases from eat-at-home consumers. The campaign also seeks to shift SPAM’s image by taking a playful approach. For instance, one ad features a personified can of SPAM teaching some eggs how to have some fun.

Dan Goldman, SPAM senior product manager, says of the campaign, “Our goal is to build upon the recent success of SPAM product sales by showing our consumers simple and creative ways to use SPAM products more often.” So far, Hormel’s innovative approach and playful attitude have paid off. If they continue to play their cards right, maybe one day “SPAM” will stand for more than just mystery meat and junk-mail.