Marketing Aquaculture Products — 1

opportunities. Marketing doesn’t have to fail
during a recession, only marketers fail who lack
an imagination. Marketing’s role is to sense the
unfulfi lled needs of people and create new and
attractive solutions.”
Kotler’s ideas are perhaps best summed up in
something he once said during one of his public
presentations, “Marketing is not the art of fi nding
clever ways to dispose of what you make. It
is the art of creating genuine customer value.”
By creating genuine customer value, you create
your market. You have created an innovation
(your unique product) that creates its own opportunity.
To get started in learning to market, your
marketing and communication ideas should
address what makes your product unique.
Avoid the idea that yours is just better productsuperiority
trap. You will get nowhere with this
kind of thinking or message. Instead, think of
what you are off ering and where the market is
or is heading. You may also gain some insight
into ways to improve your overall business or
product presentation by considering:
What is the fundamental business problem
your company solves? As an aquaculture
producer, this means raising fi sh and making
that fi sh available to the public. So, how do you
do this in a way that is favorable to the public?
Why is your product so favorable that the public
should choose you over a competitor?
What is your “distinctive competency” as a
company? Simply put, this is what sets you
apart from the competition. For example, it
could be your dedication to on-time every-time
deliveries to your distributors, the ice-cold
spring-fed water in which your trout are reared,
or perhaps the multi-generational appeal of
a family business where parents and children
work together to sustainably grow the company
that has their name on the product label.
Where do I fi t with respect to where the market
is headed? Essentially, why is my product
relevant with respect to what today’s distributor,
food service or consumer wants?
Once you’ve fi gured out where you “fi t” in the
market, ask yourself where you see yourself
within that segment. Are you a trend-setter,
solid performer, or unique stand-out? Are
you the biggest or the smallest producer in the
market? Are you new on the block or have you
been at this long enough to have been through
the school of hard knocks? No matter where
you fall within these groups, you can use what
you are to build a case that your operation and
your product address a distinct niche in the
market. You probably cannot be all things to all
people, but you can be someone and something
special to a distinct group of loyal clients.
Get it down on paper. Th is means working
with a professional to articulate your message,
develop your image and label, and strategize
about your print advertising needs. Some
aquaculture-ventures do this work themselves
with their own staff or family talent and are adequately
rewarded by the outcome. Usually this
is not the case. Your visual image is critical to
the immediate perception of your product. Get
some help, or at least get some second opinions.
Marketing Aquaculture Products — 9