After the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board (LSPMB) received USD 10 million (EUR 88.7 million) for seafood marketing from the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill around a year ago, the board decided to spread the dollars out over five years. Executives with the board, operated by the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, also wanted to benefit as many different sectors of the seafood industry as possible.
To that end, LSPMB is testing a co-marketing program for Louisiana seafood in U.S. grocery stores, and will soon expand the program to distributors and restaurants. SeafoodSource recently talked about initiatives with Karen Profita, executive director of the LSPMB.
Blank: Tell us how the grocery co-marketing program works.
Profita: It is just launching now, and we are testing it with three retail chains in June, which we can’t name. We are looking at expanding the market, so we want newer, incremental business. For retailers that have not carried Louisiana seafood in the past, if they make a purchase, we can provide co-marketing, up to 10 percent of what they are purchasing. For example, for a retailer that is making a USD 500,000 (EUR 443,319) purchase, we can come in with USD 50,000 (EUR 44,338) worth of co-marketing. The co-marketing support could include social media, in-store demonstrations of Louisiana seafood, digital banner ads on sites such as Allrecipes.com, custom emails to educate their consumers and other efforts.
Blank: How can U.S. grocery chains participate in the co-marketing program?
Profita: If you’re a supplier selling Louisiana seafood, you can register on our site, www.buylouisianaseafood.com. We have a brief training, and then the distributor works with a grocery chain, and brings the grocery chain into the program. We are also looking at particular geographic markets where we would like to place [the program] the most. These are markets that are predisposed to Louisiana seafood and understand the cuisine, so we can build upon a really great base of what is there. Some areas of the country that tend to be the most interested are Chicago, Ill.; Atlanta, Ga.; Washington, D.C.; Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas; and Orlando, Fla.
Blank: Which other businesses will be eligible for LSPMB co-marketing program?
Profita: Later this year, we will expand the program to wholesalers/distributors and restaurants. In the restaurant co-marketing program, we will focus even more specifically on product development. We might be helping the restaurants not only with specific fish or shellfish they should be ordering, but we might offer ideas on how they can educate their staff and customers. So many trends start in restaurants. So, if you can get chefs excited and talking about it, consumers will use it in their homes. With the wholesaler/distributor program, the goal is to help a seafood supplier who is working with a distributor or wholesaler, who is working with a retailer. We are still developing both programs.
