When asked what foods represent our country, people may think Canadian maple syrup before considering one of Canada’s most iconic foods: lobster. The Lobster Council of Canada, the voice of the Canadian lobster industry, believes the time is right to launch a project focused on defining a Canadian lobster brand identity, focused on its superior quality, delicious taste and year-round availability.
In late 2013, the Lobster Council of Canada chose Revolve Branding Inc., a creative agency with a proven track record of building strong brand identities, to work with the Lobster Council and a brand task group, made up of industry representatives, to develop a brand identity that can be used in future marketing and promotion in domestic and international markets. The Canadian lobster brand identity will be developed following in-depth consultations with key industry stakeholders on a regional, national, and international level. The brand identity will support both live and processed lobster and leverage current marketing efforts by Canadian seafood companies and organizations.
“We are extremely pleased to have the chance to work with one of Canada’s premiere branding agencies to develop a strong brand identity for Canadian lobster,” says Geoff Irvine, Executive Director of the Lobster Council of Canada. “A national brand identity will highlight Canada lobster’s many strengths including the coastal waters where it is harvested, the thousands of inspiring harvesters and their families, and the value that Canadian lobster has in the global marketplace,” says Irvine.
Many within the industry today believe that lobster harvested in Canada has a positive but under-leveraged reputation. Currently, this billion-dollar industry focuses more on highlighting regions’ specific attributes and less on marketing a national brand. However, the Lobster Council of Canada, based on its own market research and findings via key industry consultations, are certain additional success can be achieved in international markets by leveraging the ‘Canada Brand’, which is synonymous with quality. In 2012, Canadian lobster representatives identified the need to focus on a Canadian lobster brand. The Maritime Lobster Panel report and Independent Review of the Prince Edward Island Lobster Industry, published in late 2013, also included recommendations focused on the promotion and marketing of Canadian lobster.
“Canadian lobster is currently at a critical point in its continued growth and evolution. Strengthening the Canadian lobster brand in domestic and international markets will require a unique and compelling brand identity,” believes Nelson Angel, President and Senior Brand Strategist of Revolve Branding Inc.. “The Revolve team and I are very excited for the opportunity to help fortify a truly authentic Canadian brand icon and key driver of the Canadian economy.”
The following industry representatives will form the brand task group and work with Revolve Branding and the Lobster Council of Canada beginning in early 2014. A representative from the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture will be identified in the weeks to come.
- Adrienne Grosweiner, New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, New Brunswick
- Derek Kelly, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa
- Stewart Lamont, Tangier Lobster, Nova Scotia
- Gordon MacDonald, Harvester from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
- Robert MacDonald, Gidney Fisheries, Nova Scotia
- Ian MacPherson, Prince Edward Island Fishermen’s Association, Prince Edward Island
- Sebastian Manago, Innovation PEI, Prince Edward Island
- Francis Morrissey, Royal Star Seafoods, Prince Edward Island
- Melanie Sonnenberg, Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association, New Brunswick
- Keith Sullivan, Fish, Food and Allied Workers, Newfoundland and Labrador
- Marie France Thibodeau, Gourmet Chef Packers, New Brunswick
- Jennifer Walsh, Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Newfoundland and Labrador
The work being done on the Canadian lobster brand identity complements the Lobster Council of Canada’s quality grading project, which aims to identity and assess lobster quality to continue building upon Canada’s existing reputation as a supplier of premium quality lobster. Established in 2009, the Lobster Council of Canada brings together Canadian lobster industry stakeholders, including harvesters, live shippers, processors, First Nations, and provincial and federal governments, to work on projects of mutual benefit. Areas of focus currently include lobster quality and traceability, a national lobster branding and promotion strategy, market access challenges and opportunities and industry communication. With government support and members from across Atlantic Canada and Quebec, the Lobster Council of Canada is recognized as the voice of the Canadian lobster industry.
Source: Lobster Council of Canada
