MINNEAPOLIS – Wisconsin-based meat snack giant Jack Link’s has appealed to hungry drivers and outdoorsmen for more than 30 years, but competition has been fierce in recent years, reports the Star Tribune. 

To help broaden its scope and attract new customers, the news source writes that Jack Link’s has begun to expand product lines, shift marketing and open a new showroom and office in downtown Minneapolis near Target Center.

“We’ve changed our brand vision and our company vision from being the dominant leader in jerky to really being the dominant leader in protein snacking,” Tom Dixon, Jack Link’s chief marketing officer, told the Star Tribune. “We feel like we have the ability to bring protein snacking to a whole other level because, at the end of the day, you can’t out-protein meat.”

Thanks to consumer demand for healthier snacking options, meat snacks have grown in popularity. According to IRI, in the last year, dried meat snacks reached $2.8 billion in sales, a nearly 4% jump from 2015. In 2012, Hartman research found that 35% of meat snack eating occasions were consumed by women, which increased to 45% in 2015, notes the news source.

But as the meat snacks category continues to grow, Jack Link’s experienced a 5% drop in dollar share of jerky sales compared to 2015, but continues to lead the U.S. jerky market with a 51% market share. Other major brands that are competing, such as General Mills and its acquisition of Texas-based Epic Provisions, and Hershey Co. with the acquisition of gourmet jerky brand Krave, are making strong headway within the overall U.S. jerky market.

“I’ve heard of these premium brands that are really pushing the needle in terms of quality and what people are looking for and moving away from the stigma of [the] convenience store, trucker, gas station sort of brand that Jack Link’s has controlled and dominated for years,” Allen told the news source.

Jack Link’s is shifting its marketing strategies by making a more concerted effort to appeal to changing customer demographics and dietary needs, and the company will soon launch a new national advertising campaign around its Lorissa’s Kitchen brand, notes the news source. Jack Link’s will also soon introduce breakfast products, including brown sugar and maple bacon and breakfast sausage under the name “Jack Link’s A.M.” to broaden meat snacks’ appeal during the morning daypart. 

Look for Jack Link’s to continue featuring celebrity athletes like Odell Beckham Jr., Clay Matthews and Karl-Anthony Towns to help push the brand’s appeal as a healthy snack choice that is high in protein and low in fat.

“One of the things that we are trying to do is associate protein snacking with activity,” Dixon told the news source, adding. “That’s one of the reasons that we are using world class athletes.”

In addition to new headquarters in Minneapolis, the company is also opening a Jack Link’s retail store in the skyway level of Target Center, where folks can buy new test products.

“Half of the population still hasn’t participated with jerky or meat snacking,” Dixon told the news source. “And we know that there’s a lot of people out there that if you give them the right flavor or you give them the right texture or you give them the right form, they will begin to participate. … We are now opening ourselves up to compete on a much broader scale.”