Communicating a Breakthrough in Sustainable Aquaculture
Challenge
Verlasso – a brand of farmed salmon raised in the coastal waters of Chilean Patagonia with sustainable farming practices – needed to overcome the farmed salmon industry’s historic issues and negative sentiment related to overcrowded pens, overuse of antibiotics and depletion of feeder fish that are essential to ocean health. Why? To convince consumers, chefs, influencers, distributors and seafood category managers that its farmed salmon is a healthy, responsible and great-tasting choice.
Strategy
Linhart developed and executed an integrated campaign approach – with earned, owned, social and influencer elements – to combat misperceptions, manage misinformation and educate audiences about Verlasso’s sustainability practices to help drive engagement and sales.
Execution
The program included:
Rapid response: The team monitored online conversations, allowing us to anticipate issues and respond quickly. We used key messages to post comments that corrected misconceptions about farmed salmon and introduced Verlasso’s sustainable practices. We also responded to negative farmed salmon and competitor news stories and offered discussions with Verlasso.
Key opinion leader meetings: We helped reshape perceptions by arranging meetings and Verlasso tastings with top-tier food and sustainability media and influencers; well-known chefs, registered dietitians and trainers; and NGOs focused on sustainability and oceans. Their endorsements helped Verlasso validate sustainability claims and build credibility.
Speaking engagements: Verlasso's director shared the brand story, answered questions and corrected misinformation at Fortune Brainstorm Green, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions/Sustainable Foods Institute, Chefs Collaborative and at seafood shows.
Owned/social channels: Blog posts, an email newsletter and active social channels helped build brand awareness, educate about Verlasso’s sustainable practices and respond to issues to change perceptions.
Earned media: In part because of our work, Verlasso became the first farmed Atlantic salmon to earn a “Good Alternative” buy ranking from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program. We leveraged the Seafood Watch news to generate widespread earned media coverage, including a section cover story in USA Today, extensive coverage in other tier one outlets and in consumer food, culinary and lifestyle media.
Results
- Established relationships with influential food and sustainability journalists.
- Secured national and regional media coverage reaching 25M+ consumers, influencers, chefs and seafood buyers with a breakthrough sustainability story.
- Grew website traffic, email newsletter subscribers and open rates, and social followings and engagement.
- Positioned Verlasso's director as a sustainable seafood thought leader.
- Converted attacks by critics and competitors into engagement opportunities.
- Secured external validation and recognition - and maximized it - to help open doors at retail accounts and with key chefs and restaurants.
- Overall, our campaign earned two national PRSA Silver Anvil awards.
