Peak season for Norwegian Salmon in France

Salmon is an important part of the French festive season. And to make sure that the French consumers choose Norwegian salmon, the Norwegian Seafood Council is running a big media campaign in France in November and December.

In the beginning of the campaign, Norwegian salmon will be visible on TV in the form of a TV sponsorship, running before and after the cooking show "Petits Plats en Équilibre" on France’s biggest TV channel: TF1. Additionally, Norwegian salmon will star as the main ingredient on the cooking show "Tous en Cuisine", with the famous chef and TV personality, Cyril Lignac.

– And to show just how versatile and easy Norwegian salmon is to cook with, while at the same time sharing important key messages, we have also teamed up with three French magazines, explains Country Director in France, Sigrid Louise Philippart.

The French magazines in question are Views, Mint and Milk, who will work together with three influencers: chloe brbrs, gaellemancina and roro cuistot.

The three influencers have created salmon recipes in three different settings: For a date, with friends, and for sharing with family.

– This is a great way to show how salmon fits into any setting, while also sharing why Norwegian salmon is the very best, says Philippart.

To really highlight how Norwegian salmon is an integral part of the French festive season, there will also be a social media campaign on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. In addition, there will be an online video campaign on various French websites.

And in week 49, Norwegian salmon will be shown on digital screens in French supermarkets all over the country.

– This will put the Norwegian origin top of mind during the moment of purchase, Philippart explains.

– We are also excited to share that we’ve been working on several PR activities, that are taking place during the end of November and December. Just like last year, this year’s salmon campaign is an eco-responsible campaign with the aim to reduce the carbon footprint of the media buying, Country Director Philippart states.

You can read more about the eco-responsible campaign here (in French) and here (in Norwegian).

When defining target groups for Norwegian salmon and campaigns like this, the NSC use well founded consumer insights. The chosen messages for the campaigns are thus adapted according to what we know the French consumers care about.

And while the main, broad audience in France is targeted through this year’s salmon campaign, the NSC also wanted to focus on a smaller target group this winter.

– We are allocating a small amount of the budget to reach another interesting French audience within our target group: The “apéro” lovers, Philippart says.

The apéro, or aperitif, is an important custom in many Frenchmen’s lives. The French take pride in the notion that they savor the good things in life – especially good food – and this goes for more than just their main meal of the day, lunch. Many French see the apéro, which can be described as a pre-dinner drink, to be somewhat of a national institution.

– It’s the moment of the day when you’re together with your friends or family, either you’re having dinner or lunch after, or you’ve met up for the apéro only. You get a drink, and you eat small treats and snacks while having a good time together, Philippart explains.

– The apéro is a very convivial, easy and flexible happening, which goes perfectly with our versatile and tasty Norwegian salmon!

The audience for the campaign for the apéro is within our main target group. The decision to single out this target group was decided after a throughout analysis together with the media agency in France.

– We are very excited to see how this project develops and will of course share the results after the campaign, Country Director Philippart concludes.