When you hear the word spam, what first comes to mind? For many the term is associated with junk mail. It is said such an affiliation came into being from a 1970 “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” television skit where spam was repeated over and over again in the dialog. In the internet age the skit was deemed emblematic of bulk e mails sent out for solicitation. However, for this article the focus is on the original SPAM. The venerable canned meat product has been on grocery store shelves since being introduced by the Hormel Foods Corporation in 1937.
The longevity of the product made of pork shoulder is something to be admired by any industry. Brands come and go. What many successful brands have in common is their ability to adapt to the wants and needs of the consumer while still maintaining the original product that made them famous. Coca-Cola is an excellent example of this. While Coca-Cola Classic is still the king of soft drink sales in the USA, their other products such as Diet Coke and Coke Zero have high market penetration with consumers who might not buy the classic version of the famous product from Georgia.
Like Coca-Cola, SPAM is a product that started out in the USA but has long been a global brand. According to the official SPAM webpage, the product is sold in 50 countries. Having adapted to the wants and needs of their consumers, SPAM now offers a wide variety of flavors. Japanese Barbecue Sauce, Gochujang, Korean BBQ, Teriyaki and Tocino are just some of the different flavorings they offer. SPAM’s global reach and internationally inspired flavors indeed make it very appropriate that SPAM is MAPS spelled backwards.
Ever adaptable, SPAM recently introduced a hotdog made out of SPAM and has rolled out the same in limited markets. While I wish them well in this venture, in my opinion there is only one way to make a hotdog, the “Nu-way”. Founded in Macon, Georgia in 1916, Nu-way Weiners has been enjoyed by locals and notable visitors for over a century. A directory of their locations in Central Georgia can be found here: https://nu-wayweiners.com/.
