Media watch: Social media’s growing influence

 The U.S. seafood industry is constantly combatting misinformation in the mainstream media about seafood when it comes to health, food safety and sustainability. But, more and more, companies are turning to social media to set the record straight.

“The industry is certainly a victim of the mainstream media, and there are all these negative stories popping up about health, safety and sustainability. That’s why [the industry] needs to be involved with social media,” said Mary Smith, marketing director at Santa Monica Seafood in California. “One thing that’s important [about social media] is its immediacy. There’s more of a sense of urgency than [with] traditional media sources.”

For the first time, half of all American adults say they use a social networking website like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, according to a survey released in August by the Pew Research Center. Six years ago, when Pew conducted a similar survey, only 5 percent said they used social networking sites.

In a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association of what’s hot in 2011, social media-based marketing came in third, with 17 percent of chefs polled saying it is the hottest restaurant operational trend this year and 55 percent saying they use social media for professional purposes.

The same goes for Santa Monica, which uses Twitter and Facebook to broadcast seafood specials and foster dialog.

“It’s a great direct use for us. We can use it to gain traction for issues we’re supporting,” said Smith. “We’re using social media to keep a lively discussion going about the charter halibut fishermen in Alaska and the catch-share plan. It’s a great way to gain momentum for an issue by channeling it through a like-minded audience.”

And the mainstream media can’t compete with the ability of social media to be used as a medium to find consumers. For example, M&J Seafood, the United Kingdom’s largest independent seafood supplier, uses e-mail, text messaging and Twitter to help chefs order recently caught fish through its “Catch of the Day” program. The National Fisheries Institute recently launched a shrimp-branding campaign through Facebook, with the “Eat Shrimp” page reaching nearly 13,000 fans since its launch.

So does social media have the clout to replace mainstream media? Smith thinks so.

“The benefits are that you get to hear all these different perspectives from people who maybe normally wouldn’t have a voice in the mainstream media,” she explained.

“It mystifies me how we can be eating less seafood,” added Smith, referring to the recent news that U.S. per-capita seafood consumption dropped from 16 pounds in 2009 to 15.8 pounds in 2010. “Is it because of the way stories are presented in the media? [The industry] needs to stay involved in social media to remind people seafood is safe, healthy, nutritious and sustainable. There are great stories out there, and as an industry we can use social media to propel them forward.”

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