 is Generating National Awareness May 08, 2004
"We took this program to the industry and asked them to come up with creative ways to market Wild Alaska Salmon, and they did just that. They came up with innovative solutions and we're making real progress," said Governor Murkowski. "We asked for a cash match to make sure that the industry was committed to this program. We knew we would get better results if the industry was providing a match." The Alaska Salmon Marketing Program is a key component of the Salmon Revitalization Strategy, initiated by Governor Murkowski with funding provided by Senator Ted Stevens. It is a multi-level, multi-year plan designed to spur increased productivity and innovation in the Alaska fishing industry by investing considerable resources into critical commercial fisheries infrastructure, capital improvement projects, quality improvements and marketing. Administered by the Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development, this program is intended to assist Alaska salmon marketers to fund industry's "best thinking" on how to most effectively market wild Alaska salmon. "The Wild Alaska Salmon brand is making its way to high end restaurants, retailers and homes of consumers across the nation," said Commissioner Edgar Blatchford of DCED. "Consumer demand for our salmon is really increasing. Thanks to the efforts of the Governor and the industry, buyers and connoisseurs alike, have a better understanding of the health benefits, appreciate the uniqueness of its taste, and are beginning to ask for it by name," the Commissioner went on to say. Some of Alaska's major seafood processor will soon launch initiatives to educate consumers on Alaska's wild salmon. Legal Sea Foods in conjunction with NorQuest Seafoods will kick off their Wild Alaska Salmon marketing campaign later this month. This effort is intended to reach consumers from Boston to Florida, and will focus on educating customers on the superiority of wild salmon. "We're in the fish business. We always strive to bring the best quality products to our customers, and wild salmon from Alaska is the best there is plain and simple," said Legal Sea Foods Presidents and CEO Roger Berkowitz. "More and more consumers are looking for the unique flavor and nutrition of all-natural products, and wild salmon from Alaska is as close to 'all natural' as any product anywhere," said Berkowitz. Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Inc. is gearing up for their own unique marketing initiatives, and will soon launch a new pouch salmon product in certain regions across the nation. "Our sales department has ramped up this effort by involving not only the traditional canned salmon sales department, but every other Ocean Beauty sales department," said Mark Palmer, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales for OBSI. OBSI has had unprecedented enthusiasm from retailers in both the United States and Europe for their once-frozen sockeye fillets, and has geared up to bring this product to thousands of supermarkets, once new season fish is available to fill orders. "Demand has so outstripped our expectations that we were forced to bring several containers of Alaska sockeye back from Japan to fill domestic orders," said Palmer. Trident Seafoods has expanded the distribution of their new 12-pack salmon burger in Costco stores across the nation. In early July, Trident will participate in Costco's well-known Passport promotion, where customers can buy 1 get 1 free. Trident is excited about the exposure it will bring to their new product and Alaska's wild salmon. You can find this product in both Anchorage and Juneau Costco stores. DCED will continue to work with the salmon industry to grow the demand for Alaska's wild salmon across the nation. The department is in the process of developing a database that will monitor and measure the success of the Alaska Salmon Marketing Program. Program results will be available to the public on the web and will include information on product development, pricing strategies, volume, marketing and sales. "This program is re-igniting the entrepreneurial spirit of traditional Alaska, " said Commissioner Blatchford.
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