The role of the NSC in Italy and our activities 

The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC)  works with the Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture industries to develop markets for Norwegian seafood through local market intelligence, market development and reputational risk management. The Norwegian seafood industry finances the activities of the NSC via a tariff on all Norwegian seafood exports. The NSC is a public company owned by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.  

The NSC is headquartered in Tromsø and maintains local representatives in Norway's most important international markets. In Italy, the NSC is represented by one country director and one market advisor. 

The main objective of the NSC is to increase the value of Norwegian seafood. This is done in close collaboration with Norwegian seafood companies and their customers abroad. 

In the Italian market, the NSC has market budgets on salmon, stockfish and baccalà.  The main strategies and plans for these products can be found below.

Salmon

For salmon, the NSC will invest in media, PR and POS activities in both retail and HoReCa, focusing on the main consumption drivers while differentiating through origin. The primary target group is medium salmon consumers (the ones eating salmon monthly) aged 20-65 as these groups seems to have the highest potential to contribute to the overarching goal.

The NSC will work actively to engage companies to partake in marketing activities and utilize the Seafood from Norway trademark and the term “salmone norvegese” on the front of the packaging (both brands and private label) and on menus in restaurants. This shall help to maintain the high levels of awareness and preference for Norwegian salmon and increase the efficiency of NSCs marketing investments. 

Additionally, the NSC will be a trustworthy partner working to secure the position of Norwegian salmon through both proactive and reactive reputation building. 

Stockfish

For stockfish, the NSC will work to increase the real and perceived value of the product in selected regions and cities through targeted media campaigns in connection with POS activities in retail. This will be done by strengthening the focus on drivers such as taste and tradition, while working on some of the barriers such as preparation. The primary target group is stockfish consumers in key areas for stockfish consumption that eats stockfish one time or less per month.

The NSC will work actively to engage companies to partake in marketing activities and utilize origin labelling to increase the efficiency of NSCs marketing investments. PR initiatives will be used to increase media exposure and to re-position the image of the product.

Baccalà

The NSC shall work to highlight the origin and use terms such as “Baccalà Norvegese” to build a stronger platform for future growth. To do this, the NSC will work closely with companies in the value chain to undertake targeted marketing activities such as POS activations in retail and utilize origin labelling to differentiate and increase storytelling about the products. Additionally, the NSC will offer educational sessions/academies to increase knowledge to Norwegian baccalà.

The NSC will also work to increase the perceived value of Baccalà through targeted PR activities, and investments in digital channels. This will be done by re-positioning the image of the product by focusing on some of the key drivers such as taste, while working on barriers such as preparation. The NSC will have a B2B2C strategy in the market, where the primary target group will be producers and retail, with the aim of supporting them in building a stronger position for Norwegian Baccalà among their consumers. 

Overall efforts

Common for all products, is that the NSC shall contribute with added value to the Norwegian industry and their customers by offering meeting places and updated market insights. The NSC will make sure that campaigns are communicated and coordinated to achieve best possible synergies, and offer support to those that want to increase marketing of products, brands, or private label while at the same time strengthening the position of Norwegian seafood products and the SFN-trademark. 

Finally, the NSC will be present with Seafood from Norway communication throughout the year to secure synergies between the investments for salmon, stockfish and baccalà (saltfish and clipfish).  Below is a brief overview of the activities that the NSC will undertake in 2025:

Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to have a chat about the market or our upcoming activities. 

A presto!