– The price is very high, and this is a great recognition of the work that has been done to build the Lofoten brand, says Marketing and Innovation Director Camilla Beck Sætre.
The criteria Nielsen uses as a basis are the market’s development in the past year, the brand’s position and development in its own competitive segment, long-term perspective in the brand’s development and media investments for the brand. A brand’s strength is ultimately measured by how the brand performs in the market – it is at the moment of purchase that the strength of a brand is realized. A successful brand must show growth and share, and help build value for its category.
– “Lofoten” has developed into the largest brand within fish and seafood in the Norwegian grocery trade. They have built their brand by offering exciting products that make it easy to eat healthy and good food, which consumers want. In addition, “Lofoten” is a brand name that is associated with fresh, clean ingredients, good quality and pride. In 2017, Lofoten had a growth of 14%. This is impressive in a category with challenges. So impressive that “Lofoten” has been named the winner of the Nielsen brand strength award for 2018, says Georg Ellingsen, chairman of the jury at Nielsen.
Lofoten itself emphasizes that painstaking work over a long period of time lies behind the development of the Lofoten brand and the growth the products are now experiencing;
– Since the establishment of the forerunner to “Lofoten”, “Lofot Delikatesser” in 1994, we have built up our own nationwide sales apparatus, handed out thousands of taste samples in store and worked purposefully and strategically with product development and branding; first with packaging design and as soon as we had the finances for it, invested in marketing. We have always invested in high-quality products; it is more demanding to make, and costs a little more. But at the same time leads to consumers choosing Lofoten time after time.
– Many thanks to all our loyal consumers, and to our customers who have shown us their trust. The Nielsen Brand Strength Award is a great inspiration for us in Lofoten to continue working to get Norwegians to eat more seafood, and to choose Lofoten. It is good for both health and the environment – in addition to the fact that it is very good, quick and easy to prepare and thus fits perfectly into many Norwegians’ hectic everyday lives, says Camilla Beck Sætre.
– We are proud and honored that Lofoten is the first seafood brand to join the exclusive team as winners of the Brand Strength Award. With our limited resources compared to the strong brands we compete against here, both in terms of marketing budget and number of employees, this award is a great tribute to everyone who has contributed with enormous effort to Lofoten’s success.
– We would like to thank all our employees who work hard every day to develop, manufacture, sell and market what is perhaps the world’s best seafood. At the same time, we must add that the brand name Lofoten is not just ours, but belongs to an entire region. It is therefore also with great humility and gratitude that we share the award with everyone who has a connection to Lofoten, and with the professional fishermen in particular, who create the basis for our existence, says a happy Managing Director, Sigvald Rist.
ABOUT THE CRITERIA FOR THE NIELSEN’S BRAND STRENGTH AWARD:
The Nielsen Brand Strength Award has been awarded annually since 1995 and calculates a brand’s value based on criteria such as the size of the market/product area (NOK and development), the brand’s position and development in its own competitive segment, the long-term perspective of the brand’s development and media investments for the brand. The starting point for Nielsen’s Brand Strength Award is the brand’s value in a defined market (Norway).
Past winners of Nielsen’s Brand Strength Award:
1995 – Friele Coffee | 1996 – Farris | 1997 – Coca Cola | 1998 – Pizza Grandiosa | 1999– Rema 1000 | 2000 – Ringnes beer | 2001 – Freia Milk Chocolate | 2002 – Extra from Wrigley | 2003 – Laban from Nidar | 2004 – Toro | 2005 – Pizza Grandiosa | 2006 – Kiwi | 2007 – Pepsi Max | 2008 – Fjordland | 2009 – Ideal Wasa | 2010 – Rema 1000 | 2011 – Q dairies || 2012 – Norvegia | 2013 – Delicate | 2014 – Coca Cola Zero | 2015 – Kiwi | 2016 – Corona | 2017 – Circle K
ABOUT THE BRAND LOFOTEN
- Brand for seafood products established in 2003, after the company Lofotprodukt AS changed the name of its seafood products from Lofot Delikatesser to Lofoten.
- Marketed under the values “genuine, honest, natural”.
- Owned by the seafood group Insula AS.
