Jack Link’s Unleashes ‘Meatzilla’ on National Jerky Day
MINONG, Wis. — Friday marked the fourth annual National Jerky Day, and Jack Link’s Beef Jerky celebrated in a big way.
For the unofficial holiday — created by Jack Link’s in 2011 — the company unveiled “Meatzilla,” the world’s largest bag of jerky, in New York’s Meatpacking District. Meatzilla stands three stories tall, is the width of a semi trailer and holds more than 5,000 standard bags of Jack Link’s jerky varieties.
The giant bag of meat descended on Gansevoort Plaza, dangling from an enormous crane, as Jack Link’s representatives, brand ambassadors and the brand’s iconic Sasquatch handed out a limitless amount of free jerky to passersby. The neighborhood was reclaimed as the “Meatsnacking District” for the day.
“National Jerky Day is our favorite day of the year because we get to honor America’s love for jerky,” said Kevin Papacek, director of marketing for Jack Link’s. “This year, we wanted to showcase our passion for jerky bigger than ever before by unveiling Meatzilla. While Meatzilla may not be able to feed jerky lovers across the nation, we invite everyone to grab a bag of Jack Link’s and feed their wild side.”
Measuring 30 feet tall by 28 feet wide, Meatzilla showcased Jack Link’s new packaging design and the jerky inside features an improved jerky formulation.
“People keep telling us they eat a ‘ton’ of jerky and they want more,” said Papacek. “They tell us on social media, in research groups and at retail stores and events, so we decided to make the bag they’ve been asking for. So far, we’ve just made this one, but we think we’re on to something.”
Even if consumers and fans of Jack Link’s weren’t in New York City to celebrate, they were encouraged to enter for a chance to win a one-year supply of Jack Link’s jerky by submitting a photo with a bag of Jack Link’s using the hashtag #Meatzilla and tagging Jack Link’s in the photo. More details can be found at www.jacklinks.com/jerkyday.
A "Meaty" Donation
Jack Link’s also celebrated National Jerky Day by donating a full ton of jerky to the Food Bank for New York City, part of the Feeding America network, the nationwide group of 200 food banks that fights against hunger in the United States.
The donation will provide 409,600 grams of protein, or 51,200 servings of jerky.
“We truly appreciate the support of Jack Link’s, a new product donor to Feeding America member food banks,” said Bill Thomas, chief supply chain officer at Feeding America.
Headquartered in Minong, Jack Link’s is the No. 1 U.S. meat snack brand and fastest-growing meat snack manufacturer worldwide, according to the company.