Johnsonville Sausage is a food processing company that deals with sausage products. The company has its headquarters in the Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1945 by Ralph F. Stayer and Alice Stayer (Johnsonville). The sausage products produced include Grillers, smoked-cooked links, brats, meatballs and chicken, breakfast, Italian and summer sausage. The company is the number one brand of sausage production in America available in all the states. A total of 1,600 employees work in Johnsonville Sausage. Also, the company is available in 40 other countries which include France, Japan, Canada, and Mexico among others. Since it started up to date, the company is still privately owned (Johnsonville). Furthermore, it has developed a reputation of doing things in its own way – the Johnsonville way. The Johnsonville Way is endowed with a rich history and culture putting its employees first, which is enhanced through a series of television commercials and its members doing things responsibly.

The history of Johnsonville goes back to the year 1945 when Ralph F. Stayer and Alice Stayer established a butcher in Wisconsin and called it after their hometown. The sausages were made based on an old family recipe that was handed down the family lineage from the 19th century. The sausages were in high demand which made the company expand to the neighboring communities in 1950 and to stores throughout Wisconsin in 1970. When the son of Ralph F., Ralph C. Stayer, became the president of the company in 1978, he expanded the sales of Johnsonville outside Wisconsin followed by the building of a second plant and launching of television commercials (Johnsonville). Ten years later, sales reached an increase of 20-fold and distribution expanded to 47 states. Today, the company trends as the number one sausage brand with branches in all the states and even in other countries and other continents.

At Johnsonville, the main goal is to create and maintain an environment in which every member is required to develop their God-given talents fully. The company is committed to the animal well-being by ensuring that all animals are treated humanely. Some of the practices that contribute to the achievement of that commitment are continuous improvement of equipment and facilities, educating the employees on ethical treatment practices, and pursuing new technology that enhances further the handling practices. Another commitment concerns ensuring sustainability and providing great tasting and high-quality sausages. When looking at sustainability, the company is concerned with business operations that benefit their members, community, and environment. It is because the company realizes that today’s operations have a direct impact on tomorrow’s future.

The Johnsonville Way is a title that describes the company’s culture which was spearheaded by Ralph F. Stayer in the 1980s (Johnsonville). It refers to the way the Johnsonville Company has done things. It involves putting the employees first and empowering them to be able to have a stake in the family-owned company. In the company, their employees are referred to as members and are required to take ownership of product quality by holding them to the higher standards and thus ensuring that the Johnsonville sausages are excellent in flavor. The members are the biggest fans and harshest critics of themselves. Made The Johnsonville Way is a trademark owned by the Johnsonville Limited Liability Company which came about in the year 2016 (Johnsonville). The trademark is part of a new campaign strategy that is all about member’s involvement which has been observed for the last seventy years but which has moved a notch higher with the involvement of the members in the creation of and participation in the company’s television commercials. The commercials are not for recruiting employees but for a customer brand campaign. The Johnsonville Way, having been a great pride for the members all through, made the trademark of Made the Johnsonville Way a platform for sharing the philosophy externally.

The new advertising campaign led by the company employees started with the interviewing of members to discover what they enjoy most while working at the company, what their favorite recipe is, and their opinion on the kind of commercials they would like to run. The Droga 5, the company’s marketing group and advertising agency, discovered from the interview that the members had a lot of great ideas. They could be used to create commercials that would cause excitement in customers about grilling sausages and using them in the kitchen at the same time revealing the people related to the product. The commercials start with the responsibility spot where Johnsonville, LLC introduces few of its employees whose responsibility in the company includes making better products, processes, and communities as well as making each other better. The spot also subtly introduces the product-focused commercial.

Johnsonville culture makes members responsible for all they do – from making tasty products to ensuring quality as well as helping in the creation of commercials. Apart from the television commercials, upcoming advertisements are expected to feature other members sharing their homemade recipes with the aim of allowing their participation in brand activation. In line with their culture, the company has established plans to work with their pork suppliers so that by 2025 they will have transformed the traditional gestation stall housing into alternative pregnant sow housing. The above is part of the company’s pursuit to enhance handling practices. It is only by upholding their culture of The Johnsonville Way and living according to it so that the company has been able to remain the number one brand in America.

In conclusion, the Johnsonville Way has been developed over decades and evolved into something bigger. Those that work for the company have been at the forefront to enhance and reinvent the way the Johnsonvill company operates. The members have developed great commercials that have won the heart of those using the company’s products by being at the forefront of marketing. The Johnsonville way has not only affected the people in the company but also spilled over to the people around the community inspiring them to make a difference in the world. It is now not only a way but a culture that has pushed the company to success.

Works Cited

Johnsonville. “Commercials….Made The Johnsonville Way”. Commercials….Made The Johnsonville Way, 2016, http://www.johnsonville.com/news/commercialsmade-the-johnsonville-way/, 16 June 2017.

Johnsonville. “About Us”. Johnsonville, 2017, http://www.johnsonville.com/about.html, 16 June 2017.