I was wandering through Whole Foods doing a little shopping, and I went over to the seafood counter to buy some salmon. In front of me was a whole octopus in all its odd and freaky glory. I wondered who buys this stuff and what do they do with it. And then, a challenge came to me from the marketing voice in my head, can you think of 8 ways to market an octopus? I laughed at the thought but realized I needed to do this little thought exercise to help me keep my marketing muscles in shape. Let me dive right in.
8 Ways To Market An Octopus
- Understand Who Loves Octopus: I thought the best place to start was to gain some understanding of who currently eats octopus, how and when do they serve it and what can I observe their behavior. This is what I like to think of as the anthropology step where you immerse yourself in the culture of Octopuses. (I had to look up the plural, read this if you are curious) Octopus are mostly eaten in Asian cultures, and you find high consumption in Japan particularly in sushi.
- Can you sell more Octopus to people who already eat it? Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to convince someone to try something that has a stigma or is viewed negatively. Think of odd inner organ foods like brains, kidneys, etc. But if you can increase consumption among those who aren’t bothered by the food, you will have a leg up. Well, maybe eight legs up.
- What are the main reasons people who don’t currently consume Octopus don’t eat it? I’m a reasonably adventurous eater, but I haven’t a clue how to prepare Octopus. So, educating me about how to use it might be a place to start.
- Change the package: I think if I saw live chickens in the refrigerator case or chickens with their feathers, I’d be less inclined to eat chicken. Maybe instead of having a whole octopus on display, having it cut and ready-to-cook, with a recipe card would make a difference. Seeing it whole is scary. Seeing it ready to sauté, might change my mind.
- Sample, sample, sample. If I tasted octopus prepared, I might be inclined to try cooking it at home. I have tasted octopus in sushi before but I don’t really remember the flavor. But samples of prepared servings might entice me to give it a try. You notice the almond milk industry running ads just trying to get folks to taste their milk to help you overcome the perception stuck in your head. Handing out samples of an octopus stir fry with other vegetables and flavors might entice me to at least consider buying versus just turning up my nose at it.
- Create an octopus community. There are 25,000 people who are members of an octopus page on Facebook. I think these are folks who dig the species, not those who want to consume it. But a page dedicated to how to cook an octopus could help you overcome the idea that you are alone. Social currency and acceptance can matter – I wonder if an online group would help encourage others to consider octopus and to consider putting a toe (or 8 toes) in the water.
- Who could be a spokesperson? I love the idea of bringing a product or brand to life through a real person. When you can find someone who can represent the brand and its core beliefs, you can find a way in to listen and pay attention. Maybe a contest online that looks for a spokesperson could be a fun way to bring this idea forward and to hook the right celebrity. In my past life, we used the technique of bringing a snack food product to life in an anthropomorphic way. In fact, we did it twice over several years. The product, which to some is as odd as an octopus is called Slim Jim. First we hired Randy “Macho Man” Savage to be our spokesperson. He represented all the characteristics of the brand in a fun way – meaty, spicy and not quite real. Then, we turned that idea about a decade later into Slim Jim guy. I thought that the star of the 70’s TV Show Eight Is Enough might work but sadly, Dick Van Patten just passed away, and he was an animal advocate so, never mind.
- Develop a partnership. Maybe Octopus needs a spicy partner like Old Bay and shrimp? Or maybe Red Lobster, the seafood chain gets a pop-up store for a day called Grey Octopus. Partnerships can help find a way to make a product acceptable. Hey, Ben & Jerry’s, you guys up to Octopus & Oreos Ice Cream? Maybe the octopus cooperative can try and get their cephalopod mollusc as the special ingredient in an Iron Chef episode. Oh wait, that happened already.
I thought of a ninth way to market octopus by changing its name. Maybe instead of the odd octopus name it becomes Oceanica or EightMe. Tuna is marketed as Chicken of the Sea to the masses, so why not change the octopus name too? Food for thought.
Whether you are marketing an octopus, Octoberfest or Ocracoke, North Carolina, the ideas in this list apply. You need to understand your target and find innovative ways to become part of or create community. The best marketing is helpful, educational and engaging. Great marketing is persuasive without being pushy. It moves you from disliking something to neutral and eventually to consideration. Marketing is about re-framing and re-positioning a discussion in a new and fresh way.
Anyone for octopus lasagna?
I can think of eight reasons why you should connect with me on Clarity to set up time for a marketing coaching session. Let’s get started.
