Salmon-farming association SalmonChile has developed a nationwide campaign that aims to showcase the salmon industry’s contributions to the South American country’s economy.
According to a report published last year by polling agency Cadem, Chileans are mostly unaware that the salmon industry provides jobs to more than 80,000 people, that salmon is the country’s second-largest export product after mining, or that salmon farming is a significant contributor to regional GDP.
Additionally found in the survey, aquaculture came in last place of the general public’s view of relevant industries, chosen by just 5 percent of the public and coming in behind mining (chosen by 67 percent of those polled), agriculture (29 percent), energy (24 percent), services (22 percent), IT (14 percent), forestry (9 percent), banking (7 percent), and fishing (6 percent).
Over half of the public surveyed also did not know that Chile is the second-largest producer of farmed salmon in the world and is responsible for 33 percent of the salmon produced globally, trailing just Norway, which produces 48 percent.
To generate more awareness about these facts, “Pride of the South, Chilean Pride” seeks to highlight salmon farming’s role in the country’s development and reinforce Chilean salmon’s position as one of the main export proteins in the world. The campaign will last three months and will be deployed in national media and TV programs, on digital platforms and radio stations, and in social media posts.
SalmonChile has already launched the campaign’s first promotional video on YouTube.
The idea is to leverage the momentum gained during the recent Salmon Summit, where the three leading presidential candidates in the nation met in the south of Chile to debate for the first time. That meeting garnered national media attention for the presidential elections that will take place in November, and it placed the salmon industry firmly on the national radar.
“Salmon is not only a source of pride for those who live in southern Chile but also for the entire country. In this campaign, we wanted to highlight this connection, taking advantage of the visibility of the Salmon Summit to project a positive, transversal image of our sector,” SalmonChile Communications Director Francisco Renner said.
In addition to highlighting the economic and social impact of salmon farming, the campaign seeks to outline a vision of the future: to position Chile as a global food power capable of feeding the world from one of the most remote corners of the planet. It will also look to strengthen the sector’s reputation, highlighting the stories of workers, advances in sustainability made in the industry, and the opportunities that national aquaculture offers for development in the country.
Salmon-farming industry stakeholders in Chile have been clamoring for years for the government to more clearly define its stance on the future of the aquaculture sector, which is responsible for exports of more than USD 6.4 billion (EUR 6.1 billion) annually.
