SEATTLE, WASHINGTON—As part of its new organizational Strategic Plan, the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) announced today that it has hired Ketchum to serve as its agency of record, helping the organization craft a global brand narrative for Wild Alaska Pollock.
“This is a pivotal moment for the Wild Alaska Pollock industry,” said Craig Morris, Chief
Executive Officer of GAPP. “The GAPP Board of Directors has provided clear direction: we must work together to determine how best to make Wild Alaska Pollock a household name—both here and abroad—and capitalize on the great story our fish has to tell.”
Much of the Fiscal Year 2019-20 Strategic Plan (available on the organization’s website) that the GAPP Board approved at its April 2, 2019 meeting centers around messaging and communications. The plan details the importance of creating a common narrative that GAPP members and downstream partners can use to talk about Wild Alaska Pollock. Consistency of message is key to helping to amplify the Wild Alaska Pollock story and build brand for the fish that’s recognizable by food-industry decision makers and consumers.
Ketchum will work, first and foremost, to analyze existing research on the promotion and marketing of Wild Alaska Pollock, and then work to augment consumer perception insights — all with the goal of creating messaging toolkits that members and others throughout the industry can use consistently to promote Wild Alaska Pollock for years to come.
“We’re very excited to bring together a GAPP communication strategy for both the B2B foodindustry market as well as with consumers who could greatly benefit from a deeper understanding of Wild Alaska Pollock,” Melissa Kinch, Ketchum Partner and B2B Lead, said.
“GAPP is committed to using smart research to craft a long-term marketing plan that changes the perception of its product. We love being a part of this pivotal journey.”
Ketchum brings a wealth of knowledge about the agriculture, food and beverage space and the team working on the GAPP initiative will bring deep experience in narrative development, research, consumer data and insights and traditional public relations. Ketchum will collaborate with GAPP’s research firm and others to help develop specialized toolkits for members, and launch the new narrative for Wild Alaska Pollock publicly, first in the U.S. and then in other markets. Ketchum will also collaborate to draft content for the new GAPP website and other Association of individual campaigns over the course of the next year.
“Ketchum demonstrated to GAPP their passion for our fish and a willingness to collaborate with our members and others to build the strongest, most robust and rigorously tested messaging narrative we can for our perfect protein,” said Morris. “I’m excited to see what will most strongly resonate with consumers so we can get out there and start telling our story and increasing the value in Wild Alaska Pollock.”
About GAPP
The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) is dedicated to the marketing of oncefrozen pollock products, harvested and processed in Alaska. A non-profit Alaska corporation formed in 2003, GAPP is working to promote Genuine Alaska Pollock in major whitefish markets around the world, with a focus on Europe, North America and Japan. It is our goal to educate both seafood buyers and consumers about the superior benefits of Genuine Alaska Pollock®. www.alaskapollock.org
