Growing "Brand Vietnam" was one of a host of presentations enjoyed by delegates at the Asia Pacific Aquaculture Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, earlier this month, organized by the World Aquaculture Society.
During a lively marketing session introduced and hosted by seafood veteran Roy Palmer, Norm Grant, executive chairman of the Seafood Importers Association of Australasia (SIAA), spoke about his organization's efforts to improve the standing of Vietnamese seafood amongst his compatriots.
"Westerners need to eat more seafood as so many people are dying from diet-related disease," he said. "In Australia alone, experts put the figure at 5,000 people, with the population as a whole eating 40 percent less seafood than the recommended per capita consumption."
Over the next ten years, the country faces a one million metric ton shortage if it is to improve this situation and get more people eating more seafood.
Australia already imports around 70 percent of its seafood supply, much of it from Asian countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and China, but there remains a perception that it is an inferior product. This is boosted by a "Buy Australian" food cult led by celebrity chefs and food media, who claim that Australian food always tastes better, and is the only safe and sustainable choice.
To change this attitude and educate consumers, SIA organized a press tour of Vietnam in June 2013, and negotiated wide coverage on TV, radio and print media.
"The journalists were impressed by the fishing, farming and processing activity they saw and produced some excellent positive footage and copy," Grant said. "We got them back together at a press luncheon in November, resulting in a new flurry of articles running into next year."
"We are doing our bit, but Vietnamese companies need to understand that our need is for premium quality certified products with provenance, rather than the cheap and cheerful offering of the recent past. If everyone sells cheaply, then no one makes money and this encourages bad practice and cheating, including soaking, in order to make a margin. Yes, we want value for money, but that doesn't mean cheap is best."
Strict new laws aim to put a stop to such practices and added water must now be included on packs as a percentage ingredient. In addition, if a product is found to contain unlawful residues, the name of the producer is published in a public "product failure" report, leading to an instant loss of reputation.
"Get the products right and establish a permanent marketing presence in our country, and with persistence and patience, there are great rewards to be had," he advised.
Dr. David Hughes, emeritus professor of food marketing at Imperial College London, gave the audience food for thought, by comparing tilapia and pangasius with chicken, and looking at the lessons to be learned in avoiding the commodity trap.
An expert on global food industry issues and consumer trends, Hughes explained how branding was a vital marketing tool but a costly one that is difficult to get right and is easily copied by major retailers whose brands are already known and trusted.
"Too many fish companies ignore the fact that good retailing needs theatre to build brand loyalty, and stick their products in a plain packet with a small label on it. That makes it as boring as a chicken breast in a polystyrene tray covered with cling wrap, and in any supermarket you will see several different brands selling just such an item. Consumers have no idea which to choose, so they naturally go on price, which drags the whole system down," he stated.
In order to avoid the commodity trap, Hughes suggested that regular benchmarking is undertaken to ensure products are produced with the lowest cost per unit of output, that serious thought is given to developing a clear and relevant point of difference that is valued by the customer and the consumer, and that products are of the highest integrity. "Good brands bring opportunities but also responsibilities, because they are a promise to perform every time," he advised.
With few seafood brands in the top 100 list, companies have a long way to go to create memorable, profitable brands that connect on an emotional level with the consumer.
"The definition of branding is 'the art of aligning what you want people and particularly your customers to think about your company and its products with what they actually think about you,' and it is very difficult to get right!" he said.
