'Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon' Sweeps NAMA Awards
April 11, 2025
The Iowa Pork Producers Association’s ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ initiative was the big winner at the Best of NAMA awards this week. The National Agri-Marketing Association judged 950 award entries in more than 60 categories, and ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ was proclaimed the Grand Champion. The initiative also won Best of Show for communications to consumers, and first place for Social Media campaign directed to consumers.
‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ started in September 2023 as a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) partnership between Iowa Pork and Iowa State Cyclone football players Myles Purchase, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann and Caleb Bacon, to encourage people to purchase more ham and bacon. A photo of the four Cyclones, strategically placed behind a large ham and 14 pounds of bacon, went viral across social media, gained significant national media attention, and was named Best NIL Deal of 2023 by the Sports Business Journal.
The Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) partnered with the Meyocks agency for a sequel in 2024. A series of video skits with Purchase, Moore, Hamann, and Bacon serving as judges while several of their teammates and other Cyclone student-athletes tryout to be part of the campaign.
A retail component was also added to this year’s effort. Hy-Vee’s top 200 stores across the Midwest displayed ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ signage as part of a tailgate promotion in September and October, designed to boost pork sales. The effort succeeded.
“Iowa pork producers are thrilled with the response to ‘Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon’ and kudos to everyone involved in this effort,” said Aaron Juergens, a pig farmer from Carroll who serves as president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “We’re grateful for the Iowa State Cyclone student-athletes, the We Will Collective, Meyocks, Hy-Vee, and IPPA staffers Kevin Hall and Joyce Hoppes, who led the charge to make it all happen.”
“This is a great example of a partnership that not only engages our consumers but also helps Iowa farmers and pork producers,” said Jason Pride, Hy-Vee vice president of meat and seafood. “We also want to thank the Iowa Pork Producers Association for being a partner in our efforts to reduce hunger across the state with the tremendous donation to food banks across Iowa.”
IPPA donated $1,000 worth of pork to the food pantry of choice for each Cyclone student-athlete that participated in the promotion, and an additional $16,000 worth of pork to the Iowa Food Bank Association. The effort amounted to nearly 50,000 servings of valuable protein for people facing food insecurity.
“This initiative promoted pork in a positive way, boosted pork sales in Hy-Vee stores across the Midwest, and stocked food pantries with valuable protein to help folks who are less fortunate. Great job by everyone involved,” Aaron Juergens added.
IPPA extends its gratitude to Myles Purchase, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann and Caleb Bacon and for all their efforts during this partnership, to all the other student-athletes who joined the initiative, and to the We Will Collective, a nonprofit organization that helped organize the Cyclones' participation in the promotion.
“We are thrilled to see the continued success and visibility for the Iowa Pork Producers Association and our hardworking pig farmers, thanks in part to Iowa State student-athletes,” said Brent Blum, executive director of the We Will Collective. “This has truly been a win/win for the NIL world.”