Seafish, the public body that supports the United Kingdom’s seafood industry, launched its new Love Seafood consumer brand platform on October 1. It replaces the former Fish is the Dish brand.
The new focus is driven by a 20-year initiative to reverse the decline in consumption of seafood in the UK. It aims to positively influence attitudes towards and inspire consumers to incorporate more fish and shellfish into their diets.
Love Seafood debuts with a new identity, website and social media presence on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
The wide-ranging campaign consists of consumer-facing advertising across radio, TV, print, outdoor and streaming platforms. It features C.J. Jackson (pictured above), a popular chef, food writer and seafood expert in Britain.
Love Seafood Social, a week-long program of online events involving celebrities, chefs, social media influencers and seafood businesses across the country, will kick off on October 12.
Seafish has invested heavily in the groundwork to create Love Seafood. Informed by an in-depth State of the Nation research project with YouGov in 2018, Seafish gained insight into the barriers people face in relation to seafood consumption across the UK. It then analyzed the data against information and trends identified by its in-house market insight team and through Experian consumer data.
The findings showed that opportunities for growth in the sector fell between two unique but broad consumer audiences, and that they would best be engaged through an entirely new consumer-focused initiative.
“We’re incredibly excited to launch our new Love Seafood brand and see our extensive planning come to fruition. Our previous Fish is the Dish brand was successful and popular but as attitudes towards food and consumer behavior change, it was time for us to take stock. We’ve relished the opportunity to re-evaluate where seafood is positioned in the minds of consumers, and in securing its long-term future relationship with the nation,” said Greg Smith, head of marketing at Seafish.
He added: “We’re realistic about what we want to achieve and the timescales required for this. We know we won’t change national attitudes overnight, which is why Love Seafood is a long-term initiative. We’re aiming to inspire a generational shift in attitude towards seafood and tell the story of this incredible industry.”
A central pillar of Love Seafood will involve showcasing the people and brands that make the UK’s seafood industry a world leader. Known as Love Seafood Champions, companies and people across the full supply chain are invited to get involved in marketing opportunities on an ongoing basis.
