Moving seafood to market: great taste of wild fish capturing restaurant market.

• Author: Coppola, Doreen R.

Moving a product to market starts with coming up with a good product. The Alaska seafood industry, with an eye toward consumer trends, has mastered using the Alaska brand name to successfully market its products.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), which celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, has been working hard to brand the Alaska name, with the purpose of not only increasing the usage of Alaska seafood, but increasing the appreciation for it. Alaska seafood is one of the strongest brand names in the world, and has prepared the way for people to pay a premium for the brand name.

DINING OUT

Many of Alaska seafood products find their way into restaurants as more than half of the seafood in the country is eaten in restaurants with the majority of it in chain restaurants. ASMI conducted research to find out how Alaska seafood stacked up. It was found that more seafood is being consumed now than a few years ago, most of this due to the growing awareness of the health benefits of seafood as well as the availability of seafood. According to Laura Fleming, public relations director at ASMI, 58 percent of adults eat more fish and seafood at chain restaurants than they did two years ago. "It's a healthy trend," she says. "This data demonstrates to perspective partners that they should menu Alaska seafood. Alaska branding motivates sales. The Alaska seafood brand is the second most popular food brand on the menus of the top 500 restaurant chains in America."

HEART SMART

Americans are looking for a healthy meal that is nutritious, low in saturated fat, and high in the heart-healthy Omega-3s. "Americans are looking for heart-healthy offerings," explains Fleming. She points to the quick-service sectors that are looking to respond to consumer's desires for healthier products. So, in an effort to market Alaska seafood, many seafood companies here are using Alaska's reputation in their marketing efforts. The unique appeal of Alaska-caught fish is that the fish are wild and natural, unlike farmed fish where fish are raised in captivity.

PURE AND FRESH

Alaska offers wild-caught seafood from pure water in a clean environment, which is a huge benefit for those in Europe and Asia who want assurance that they're eating healthy and pure products. "We offer delicious, healthy natural seafood that matures in the wild at a natural pace, gets lots of exercise so its texture is good and firm, and swims in clean, cold water that gives it purity,"...