All Hogs

Did Tyson Open Donors' Eyes to How Much Can be Gained?

Corporations don't invest unless there's return as chicken company shows how big that can be

Kent Smith

Former Kentucky men's head basketball coach John Calipari autographs a standing poster of himself at a Kroger in Kentucky. His move to Arkansas was funded through Tyson chicken sold in those stores.
Former Kentucky men's head basketball coach John Calipari autographs a standing poster of himself at a Kroger in Kentucky. His move to Arkansas was funded through Tyson chicken sold in those stores. / Joseph Cooke/The Courier-Journal / USA

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The people over at Tyson are having their best week ever.

The return on investment they are getting from the national media talking about their chicken, bags of Tyson foods showing up all over social media and fans of the Arkansas Razorbacks going out of their way to appreciate the brand by stocking their fridges with product is borderline immeasurable.

Of course, the people at Tyson are doing their part also to keep the buzz going heading into John Calipari's introduction as head coach this evening. This morning it came out the company sent a special care package to Kentucky Sports Radio to help them celebrate Calipari's big day.

Fortunately, the guys there took it the right way and accepted the gift with proper respect for such high quality trolling.

The positive publicity and millions of dollars worth of free advertising it has generated will definitely catch the eye of other Arkansas businesses. Marketing is a copycat world when something is successful.

The incentive is now there for others to step up and try to duplicate what was done by Tyson. Perhaps a few will test the waters with football hoping to make a big splash and publicly milk the effort into profits.

It will be difficult to pull off. This was truly lightning in a bottle with it not only being a national story, but one that caught people off guard.

It's also unique because it's the most Arkansas company people in places like New York and California could imagine. The idea of Kentucky getting beat out by the chicken game is not only ironic, it's pure poetry.

Still, if Sam Pittman eventually retires and a bidding war for Lane Kiffin breaks out between camo companies in a rematch of what happened at the College World Series a few years ago, it will certainly draw attention. Should Wal-Mart and Chik-fil-a have a showdown for Kirby Smart, it will be one for the ages.

While all of that is highly unlikely, fans have the evening to kick back and enjoy something else that was unlikely also. The fact it should rightfully come with a celebratory plate of fried or barbecue chicken courtesy of Tyson just makes it all the better for Arkansas fans.

HOG FEED:

• National media has huge misconception of Arkansas basketball

• Calipari lawyer debunks rumor of Kentucky counter-offer

• In midst of decades of coaching turnover in other programs, leadership, Dave Van Horn has been Razorbacks athletics' one constant

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Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

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