Establishing a Brand
Identity for Local Seafood
Carteret Catch
A Rural Community College
Initiative Project
Background
• The Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI)
is supported by the Ford Foundation, a nonprofit funding agency.
• RCCI funding is administered by the Southern
Rural Development Center at Mississippi State
University (srdc.msstate.edu/rcci).
• RCCI’s mission, in part, is to support economic
development initiatives that improve the
livelihood of rural county residents.
Carteret County RCCI
• Carteret Community College (CCC) was
awarded an RCCI grant in January 2003.
• CCC formed a partnership with NC A&T
University to evaluate a number of projects
that would benefit Carteret County.
• A branding program to promote local
seafood had the most support.
Consumer Research
• Market Research indicates that consumers are
eating more seafood.
• Consumers are inclined to pay a premium to
purchase local or regional seafood commodities
and cuisine.
• The county’s fishing communities were
searching for strategies to sell their seafood.
• RCCI volunteers observed that the county
restaurants selling local seafood were not
receiving a market incentive to do so.
Branding’s Objectives
• Commercial:
- Create a stronger awareness of and a
demand for local seafood
- Improve revenues for fishermen, dealers
and restaurants
• Educational:
- Promote the seasonality of local
commodities
- Promote the sustainability regulations that
protect marine resources
- Promote the heritage of the Carteret County
fishing communities
RCCI Partners
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The RCCI Seafood Branding Team is comprised of
community volunteers representing commercial
fishermen, seafood dealers, restaurant owners,
educators, fisheries researchers and county residents:
American Culinary Federation – Carteret County Chapter
Carteret Community College
Carteret County Chamber of Commerce
Carteret County Economic Development Council
Carteret County Fishermen’s Association
NC Division of Marine Fisheries
NOAA Fisheries
NC Cooperative Extension Service
NC Sea Grant
NC State University Seafood Laboratory
Fall 2004
• RCCI volunteers met with county
restaurant owners to better understand the
quality standards they have for local
seafood.
• RCCI volunteers presented the quality
standards of restaurants to county
fishermen and seafood dealers.
March 2005
A field trip was organized for local
fishermen and restaurant owners to
observe how local seafood is marketed in
select Northeastern USA markets:
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Washington, D.C. waterfront
Stonington and Mystic, CT
Pigeon Cove Seafood, Gloucester, MA
Fulton Fish Market, New York, NY
Crisfield and Salisbury, MD
Chincoteague, VA
Washington DC Fish Market
Stonington CT
• Office of The Southern New England Fishermen
and Lobstermen’s Association
– Art Medeiros
Pigeon Cove
Seafood
Meeting with Steve Parks,
Manager of Pigeon Cove Seafood
Safety
&
Quality
Fulton Fish
Market
Fulton Street - NY
Ward Museum- Salisbury, MD
Presentation on marketing by Tom
Rippen of Maryland Sea Grant
Chincoteague, VA
Fulton Street - NY
Chincoteague, VA
June – July 2005
• With assistance from a business
consultant and a graphic designer, RCCI
volunteers developed a brand name, tag
line and logo to create a market identity for
local marine products.
• From among 14 brand name and tag line
options, the RCCI team chose Carteret
Catch as a brand name and Select North
Carolina Seafood from the Fishermen
of Carteret County as the tag line.
Creating the Brand Identity
• The word Catch is supposed to project an
image of seafood to consumers.
• Select is meant to convey only the best,
high quality or special.
• The phrase from the Fishermen of
Carteret County tells the consumer that
their seafood has been harvested by a
Carteret County fisherman.
• The logo features the silhouette of an
actual fishing vessel belonging to one of
the commercial fishermen on the RCCI
team.
October 2005
• The brand was unveiled at the NC
Seafood Festival.
• The Carteret Catch booth featured
demonstrations by county fishermen and
local chefs to show visitors how to clean
fish and prepare local seafood cuisine.
• Visitors were asked to complete a survey
that profiled their seafood preferences.
Survey Results
• Total number of survey respondents: 175.
• Eighty-four percent expected seafood purchased
at the coast to be locally caught.
• Ninety percent expected seafood in local
restaurants to be locally harvested.
• Ninety-two percent said they were inclined to
purchase local seafood if given a choice.
• Favorite commodities include shrimp, flounder,
scallops, oysters and blue crabs.
2005 NC Seafood Festival
2005 NC Seafood Festival
2005 NC Seafood Festival
2005 Waterfowl Festival
January 2006
• RCCI volunteers recruited a small number of local
fishermen, seafood dealers and restaurant owners
as “charter” members of the Carteret Catch pilot
program.
• Carteret Catch charter members met with a
representative from the Carteret Community
College Small Business Development Program to
discuss the creation of a business plan.
• Carteret Catch was presented to the North Carolina
Legislative Commission on Seafood & Aquaculture,
receiving positive reviews.
February – March 2006
• An update of Carteret Catch was presented to
the North Carolina Seafood Festival board of
directors.
• Drafts of the business plan, by-laws and
application forms were developed and are being
reviewed.
• Carteret Catch logo / marketing products have
been determined; price quotes have been
received. (e.g. stamps, flags, decals, etc.)
March 2006
• RCCI volunteers have received a grant to partner
with a UNC-G academic to conduct detailed
consumer research on the seafood consumption
habits of Carteret County residents and visitors.
• This research will help the Carteret Catch
program to adopt better direct-marketing
strategies that will enhance the connection
between the fishing industry and their customer
base.
Future Goals
• To expand the Carteret Catch footprint
beyond Carteret County
• To create “infrastructure” to better process
and distribute local seafood to consumers,
i.e. Stonington, CT, working waterfront and
Pigeon Cove Seafood.
Carteret Catch
Planning Committee
• Ms. Libby Eaton, Owner-Operator of the Bistro-by-The-Sea
Restaurant
• Ms. Beverly S. Gaskill, Owner and Operations Manager,
Quality Seafood
• Mr. Mitch Magnum, Americas Business Operations Manager,
IBM
• Dr. Gretchen Bath Martin, Research Fishery Biologist,
NOAA Fisheries Service
• Mr. Richard Meissner, Volunteer Coordinator, Cape Lookout
National Seashore
• Ms. Pam Morris, Education Coordinator, Core Sound
Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center
• Mr. Barry Nash, Seafood Technology & Marketing Specialist,
NC Sea Grant
• Ms. Jennifer Ulz, Director of Institutional Effectiveness,
Carteret Community College