Fishwife is a sustainably sourced tinned fish that looks remarkably different from your idea of fish in a can.
This Los Angeles-based tinned fish company markets sardines from Spain soaked in olive oil and smoked albacore tuna from Northern California.
Caroline Goldfarb, a TV-comedy writer, and Becca Millstein, an artist, brought Fishwife to life during the quarantine. This odd passion for tinned fish emerged as an easy fast-food option for meals and snacks.
They thought a gap existed in the marketplace for a convenient and affordable sustainably caused tinned fish with a highly differentiated brand from everyone else.
Although sardines aren’t my jam, I can see how quick and easy this protein snack or meal could be for people who want to find the intersection of healthy and affordable.
Fishwife Flair
For a few months, Millstein had lived in Granada, Spain, and loved how high-end fish fit into the lifestyle. It was casual but exquisite at the same time. In Spain, they call these conservas, which are foods preserved in cans or jars. It is a tradition in Spain that utilizes top-quality ingredients to create delicacies, unlike what Americans have come to expect from typical canned products like salmon or tuna found on grocery store shelves.
The two contacted Portuguese and Spanish canneries to find the right combination of fabulous taste and health benefits like omega-3 protein. Everything they market is sustainable, convenient, and affordable.
They created a name – Fishwife, that refers to the wives and daughters of fisherman who sold their husband or father’s food. There was an irreverence, bawdiness, and entrepreneurial women in the image of a fishwife. Fishwife was the perfect word to differentiate themselves from everything else in the market today.
Fishing For Fantastic Packaging
Packaging would be an essential element of how they differentiated their brand.
They knew that the typical American’s idea of canned fish was banal Bumblebee in a dull tin. The category was mass-produced brands that were typically lifeless and without personality.
They worked with illustrator Danny Miller from Danbo to bring their logo to life. Miller got the lifeforce alive with his illustrations that were so unlike what you’d expect from tinned fish.
Sourcing
Salmon and tuna come from North America, and they work with independent fisherwomen and fishermen. They even have some limited product offerings with Katfish Salmon from Alaska, run by a fisherwoman named Kat.
Since Instagram is core to their marketing, they have collaborated with the poet Natasha Rao, Ogemdi Ude, a choreographer and doula, and Sophie Haigney, who writes clever stories that evoke the brand’s essence.
Check out their Instagram account to see some of these creative collaborations.
Three Important Fishy Marketing Lessons
- Where are the gaps? When you study a category, can you find some whitespace or a gap in the market? There is no shortage of tuna, salmon, and sardines in cans. But no one has been elevating the category into a more premium space. Think of what Starbucks and Haagen Dazs did in their day to coffee and ice cream back in the day.
- What is the branding difference? Fishwife is bringing a contrast between their brand and the typical mundane Bumblebee or Chicken of the Sea. Their products are colorful, evocative, and celebratory of the fishwife legacy. They signal differently. When Whole Foods created the 365 brand many years ago, they turned to my friend Nancy Frame to elevate their house brand from ordinary to extraordinary.
- Why Not Know Thyself? Fishwife is bringing to life the essence of their passion. With a different package and collaborating with poets and writers, they aren’t searching for a typical marketing agency to do a cookie-cutter version of everyone else. Their brand is rich in Omega-3 and personality. When everyone zigs or zags – Fishwife is doing something else. That’s a healthy place to be.
If you are thinking about marketing a product or service, you must be better, faster, or cheaper. Pick one, or you’ll never be different enough.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
All images courtesy of Fishwife, Inc. All rights reserved.
