With demand for recent salmon hovering, direct-to-consumer model Secret Island Salmon wanted a solution to drive consciousness because it expands its product line and begins courting retailers for the primary time. The problem the advertising division set itself was figuring out the right way to be edgy with out going too far.
The corporate landed on leveraging a play on phrases as a solution to place the model as enjoyable whereas additionally serving to it management the narrative. The “F-word” marketing campaign launched in September throughout owned media with slogans like “F*** it,” “These f****ers increase some legendary salmon” and “Joyful f***ing is wholesome f***ing,” meant to generate dialogue and consciousness about how the farmed salmon business raises fish in a wholesome and sustainable method. Paid search and social promoting will probably be added early subsequent 12 months.
Model consciousness is up because the begin of the push, whereas direct-to-consumer gross sales, earned media and viewers on social media have “grown exponentially,” in line with Daniel Del Coro, head of U.S. enterprise improvement.
“We took our time creating this as a result of we needed to assess the danger of placing one thing equally aggressive and enjoyable and type of stake our model positioning round this,” Del Coro stated. “We took the higher a part of two to a few months to brainstorm, and analysis what different manufacturers have finished much like this and our goal demographics and what their response can be.”
A wholesome market
Secret Island Salmon is the Portland, Maine-based U.S. division of main Chilean farmed salmon provider Salmones Austral. It understandably needs to seize a bigger share of U.S. salmon gross sales. Because the quantity one-selling seafood merchandise within the U.S., recent salmon gross sales reached a hefty $666 million throughout the first three quarters of 2023, in line with Circana and 210 Analytics.
The demand for salmon is hovering globally, because of rising well being consciousness, the recognition of seafood-based diets and elevated disposable revenue in varied elements of the world, per Astute Analytica. With this in thoughts, after two years of online-only gross sales, Secret Island Salmon launched a brand new line of sustainably farmed salmon fillets, bacon, burgers and sizzling canine to retailers at Pure Merchandise Expo East in Philadelphia in late September.
To help the launch, Del Coro was searching for a advertising message that might interact retailers in addition to Gen Z and millennial clients in dialogue and lift consciousness about farmed salmon and its model. Years in the past, the business garnered destructive publicity because of excessive charges of antibiotic use, amongst different practices.
“Numerous the questions and considerations about farmed salmon are primarily based on information units or half truths or myths about when aquaculture began within the 70s and 80s,” stated Del Coro. “A lot has modified, however lots of manufacturers haven’t stated to customers, ‘Let’s deliver you on top of things.’ It’s our model’s alternative to deliver them on top of things with the fitting info to allow them to make an informed alternative on whether or not they want to eat wild or farmed salmon — or each.”
The salmon man
The problem was breaking by way of and grabbing the eye of ad-weary customers. However, going too edgy may backfire, Del Coro and his advertising group at Portland, Maine-based Pulp + Wire acknowledged. To this point, that hasn’t confirmed to be the case, with client and retail purchaser response to the marketing campaign being overwhelmingly constructive, Del Coro reported.
“I haven’t had anybody say ‘I’m offended’ or ‘this isn’t your function,’” he stated.
After seeing the favorable response at Pure Merchandise Expo East and a seafood commerce present this fall, Secret Island Salmon launched a complete digital and social media client marketing campaign throughout TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Fb, LinkedIn and YouTube that’s supported by emails to customers and content material on its website.
Interplay on the model’s social media accounts has doubled, if no more, per the chief. TikTok, particularly, has been extra well-liked than he anticipated. Though “not in his consolation zone,” Del Coro is starring in a sequence of enjoyable however informative movies as “the salmon man” on TikTok.
The corporate is at present testing paid adverts on a number of platforms prematurely forward of a wider marketing campaign roll out early subsequent 12 months. Because the product line beneficial properties wider distribution at retail in early 2024, Del Coro expects TikTok to be instrumental.
“Gen Z now makes use of TikTok greater than Google for locating out a couple of product and buying,” he famous.
