Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Help Retailers Build Relationship to Hispanic Market

Seattle, Washington, December 3, 2005 – Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) just made available a video featuring Latina celebrity, newscaster and ex-tennis professional, Sophie Simone.  Simone endorses Wild Alaska Canned and Pouched Salmon for a Spanish-language audience in a two-minute video designed to enhance awareness and drive sales of Wild Alaska Canned and Pouched Salmon by helping retailers to build relationships with their Hispanic customers.   Retailers can use the video at point of sale to acquaint their Hispanic customers with the pure and natural environment of Alaska, the one place on earth where the waters are still pristine and nature remains unspoiled.  The beautiful visuals used in the video are a reminder that the cold, pure waters of Alaska produce seafood of the highest quality, with firm texture and superior flavor.

The video also creates awareness about the health benefits of eating Wild Alaska Canned Salmon, a factor increasingly important to the Hispanic U.S. residents due to a high incidence of Type 2 Diabetes among the Latino population.  The preventative health benefits with regard to cancer, heart disease and hypertension are also mentioned in the video.

The video will be distributed in markets that include Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, Texas; as well as, Miami, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona and San Francisco, California where research has indicated high incidence of purchase of canned salmon among Hispanics.   Included with the video are printed materials such as recipes and informational leaflets to further encourage purchase.  This in-store promotional package will arm retailers with educational information that will help them build relationships and trust with their Hispanic consumers.

The video can also be used as promotional support at events that may include Expo Comida and other trade shows, as well as use at Latino Festivals.  The video can be viewed by going to http://www.alaskaseafood.org/canned/index_spanish.html.

Research further indicates that Hispanic consumers are a force to be reckoned with.  According to www.marketingresearch.com, there are 35.3M Hispanic residents currently living in the U.S. or 14 percent of the total U.S. population.  The buying power of these residents is predicted to climb to $634B by 2006.  ASMI recognizes that this as an opportunity to assist retailers in appealing to their Hispanic customer base to increase sales in the canned salmon category.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute is the State of Alaska’s official seafood marketing arm.  It is a public agency of the State of Alaska, funded by the Alaska seafood industry and federal grants.  ASMI promotes Alaska Seafood throughout the U.S. and in 17 other countries.  ASMI also provides education and training to the seafood industry in food safety and quality assurance practices.

Alaska’s Pollock and Salmon fisheries have been certified to the Marine Stewardship Council’s environment Standard as well-managed and sustainable fisheries.  For more information visit http://www.msc.org.

Contact:
Debra Arbogast
Schiedermayer & Associates
619/702.7500