Newsletter Home     Industry Bite     Wild Watch     Featured Articles     Recipe of the Month     Order Materials Wild Alaska Seafood, 'Wild Ben' Stein and The Food Network Cast a Wide Net with High Impact Ad Campaign The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) will launch a consumer television advertising campaign on The Food Network beginning September 25, 2006. The campaign is designed to promote wild and abundant Alaska Seafood and prompt consumers to "Ask for Alaska" the next time they visit their favorite restaurants and grocery stores. ASMI is reaching out to foodservice and retail customers like never before; and has contracted with television/movie actor and comedian, Ben Stein, to deliver its sustainable message and promote the benefits of wild Alaska Seafood. To view these spots please go to www.alaskaseafood.org/tv_ad. ASMI has a long history of providing its foodservice and retail customers with strong merchandising programs to drive sales of wild Alaska Seafood. These efforts have been and will continue to be strengthened through highly compelling consumer print advertising campaigns. Now ASMI casts an even wider net by fortifying these efforts with this series of commercial spots airing on The Food Network. These spots are designed to inform, educate and entertain…and "Wild Ben's" deadpan humor entertains with just the right amount of levity when he reminds us to, "Grab a fork, there's a lot more out there." In an effort to keep messages consistent across all consumer, foodservice and retail markets, ASMI has created 30- and 15-second versions of three spots: All-Species, Salmon and Crab. These spots will air from September 25 through November 27, 2006 and will coincide with the fall and winter/holiday season. The media buy has been finely targeted and coverage includes prime time, prime access, daytime, early fringe and weekends. The Food Network viewer is well aligned with the wild Alaska Seafood customer. The primary target customer is female, age 35 to 54 with an annual household income of $75,000 or above and she has a college degree. She is a time pressed cook that wants to feed herself and her family a healthy, nutritious diet. She cooks and or assembles these family meals when she finds time; and she is likely concerned with environmental causes. Alaska King Crab Update The Alaska Department of Fish & Game recently announced that the harvest quota for the Bristol Bay Red King Crab fishery is set at 15.5 million pounds. The fishery will officially open on October 15th, closing January 15, 2007. No other shellfish in the world projects a more elegant image or offers such widespread appeal as Alaska King Crab. It is unmatched for its sweet flavor and rich, tender texture. In fact, recent consumer research indicates that 86 percent of patrons polled choose "Alaska King Crab" over regular King Crab on menus. Catch consumers' interest in Alaska King Crab by utilizing the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's (ASMI) new "Grab a Fork There's a lot More Out There" poster or any of ASMI's Alaska Crab merchandising materials. Over half of the seafood harvested in the United States is from Alaska, where tight regulations ensure the sustained abundance of this prized natural resource. Click here to check out the new poster and Alaska King Crab merchandising materials. »» Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Releases New Alaska Canned Salmon Recipes from Chef Kathy Casey The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute teamed up with celebrated Northwest chef Kathy Casey to develop an array of fresh and flavorful Alaska Canned Salmon recipes. Perfect for parties or store samplings, Casey provides Alaska Salmon fans with two appetizer recipes: Hot Artichoke, Alaska Salmon and Parmesan Dip and Alaska Salmon Cakes with Yogurt Dill Sauce. Entrée recipes include an Alaska Salmon Broccoli Cheddar Brunch Bake and a Southwest Salmon Frittata, both perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. In addition, Casey extends the entrée options by offering the following recipes: Alaska Salmon Pasta Puttanesca, Alaska Salmon Florentine Stuffed Potatoes and Creole Salmon-Stuffed Bell Peppers. Casey also developed two flavorful sandwich recipes: Alaska Salmon Greek-Style Stuffed Pita Pockets and Alaska Salmon Salad Sandwich; and for a delicious salad check out the Alaska Salmon Pesto Pasta Salad recipe. Chef Kathy Casey is touted as a "frontrunner chef paving the way for the emergence of women chefs and Northwest cuisine on a national level." She has a 6,000-square-foot culinary Mecca that specializes in food, beverage and concept development for restaurants and retail. Both Kathy and her cuisine have been featured in USA Today, People Magazine, Self, Cheers, Food & Wine, Food Arts and The New York Times to name a few. She has also appeared on a number of TV shows including: Good Morning America, TV Food Networks Unwrapped and The Larry King Show. Click here to check out Kathy Casey's recipes! »» Award Winning Chef John Ash Hosts Educational Seafood Technique Videos The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) just released a set of four educational videos detailing simple seafood preparation techniques as taught by John Ash, award-winning chef, author, teacher, restaurateur and all around culinary celebrity. This video set is the precursor to a comprehensive interactive web-based training program: the Alaska Seafood University. This program was founded with the objective of training seafood counter staff at grocery stores nationwide to answer consumer inquiries about the preparation of wild Alaska seafood. Each of the four videos is four to seven minutes in length and covers: Broiling & Roasting, Pan-Searing & Sautéing, Grilling and Poaching & Steaming. Produced in both English and Spanish, the videos are available on CD-ROM and DVD. They also contain downloadable PDF files that summarize each video's technique and provide a recipe for a simple sauce or seasoning. ASMI has long understood that part of creating successful partnerships with retailers is supporting them in having successful relationships with their customers. This informal training will enable counter staff to teach customers simple tips and techniques for preparing wild Alaska seafood. Well-trained frontline employees translate into successful promotions and increased sales of wild Alaska seafood. The new videos are a part of ASMI's retail training program and available to order now. To order contact Karl Uri with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute at 1-800-806-2497.