Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

Maine Lobster:

America’s Seafood Report on the Maine Lobster Promotion Council’s 2013 Branding Study

Contents 04 | Introduction 06 | “The way life should be.”

08 | Commitment to Conservation and Sustainability 10 | A Bifurcated Market 12 | Gaining Customer Insights 14 | Establishing the Brand’s Core Values 22 | Seven Core Brand Values 23 | Moving Forward

Image: Jon Stamell

Introduction Maine’s lobstermen, dealers and processors want consumers to know that a lobster’s Maine lineage brings special benefits that enhance the product and add to their enjoyment. Maine’s lobster industry wants to break away from commoditization that, in the past, has ruled the industry and ensure that its brand has global recognition as the standard for quality.

Since the turn of the 20th century, the world has seen a significant rise in consumer economies. Despite a global recession, threats of terrorism and climate change, consumers have become more conscious of their global marketplace. The portability of technology and rampant growth of social media has consolidated purchasing power, enabling us to be more demanding and discriminating in everything we buy.

Perhaps no product category has been more affected by societal changes than food production and marketing. Traditional distribution structures have been disintermediated, often bringing both consumers and their food purveyors face-to-face with the farmers and fishermen at the source. The result has been enormous pressure for more transparency in the supply chain to ensure healthy, nutritious and great tasting food choices.

Food producers have been facing the challenge of how to break out of traditional commodity practices to add value for consumers demanding change. Lobster is no different from any protein source in meeting these challenges and the Maine lobster industry, as the global leader, wants to lead the charge.

Lobster has long been viewed as a special food item that increases the perception of value. Yet, its sources are only well known to those who live near or have traveled to a lobster fishing region. Maine and lobster are intrinsically connected, but most consumers will never see the state’s

4 | Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

pristine rocky coast or its picturesque communities where lobster has been the dominant industry for generations.

While pre-prepared lobster items are becoming more popular, consumers usually see lobster in restaurants or view the crustaceans in glass tanks at their local seafood market. They only learn that lobsters come from Maine if the restaurant or supermarket knows and tells them. That requires not only a better understanding of Maine’s added value to its lobster, but also increased attention on the part of the Maine’s lobster industry to the needs of the people selling and serving the product.

Maine’s lobstermen, dealers and processors want consumers to know that a lobster’s Maine lineage brings special benefits that enhance the product and add to their enjoyment. Maine’s lobster industry wants to break away from commoditization that, in the past, has ruled the industry and ensure that its brand has global recognition as the standard for quality.

Futureshift, a brand strategy consulting firm in New York, was asked to understand this challenge and develop a new industry strategy that will define the Maine lobster brand.

Several hundred interviews with buyers and sellers of all types in the U.S. and abroad helped establish the brand’s strategy, values and messaging. This report conveys much about those interviews covering current and future needs, but the brand begins with the background of the state’s rich history and special place in America’s fishing industry.

Image: Maine State Archives

When driving into the State of Maine, there’s a road sign that says,

Image: Jon Stamell

“The way life should be.”

It’s no wonder that Mainers feel that way about their state.

To the north is maritime Canada and to the south are the still more settled New England states. But what makes Maine so special is a gift of nature created by the slow erosion of ancient glaciers carving down to the coast from its western mountains, leaving a long chain of deep and rocky inlets. As the crow flies, it’s less than 300 miles from the Maine-New Hampshire border to the easternmost point in the United States. But follow the coast’s jagged coves and jetties and you’ll travel more than 4,500 miles to go the same distance, more than the entire length of the U.S. east coast.

The Maine coast is known for its pristine waters, small towns, abundant seafood and families that can date their heritage back to the first settlers in the 1600s. Few places in the world are as suitable as Maine for sustaining marine resources and a traditional way of life. Even as early as 1605, explorers were amazed by the abundance of fish in the Gulf of Maine – whales, tuna, salmon, herring,

mackerel, mussels, oysters, clams, cod, haddock, and, of course, lobster. Even John Smith – yes, the Pocahontas John Smith – once said of Maine, “Of all the foure parts of the world that I have seene not inhabited, I would rather live here than any where.”

Today, this still holds true, as there are many small coastal towns entirely devoted to traditional ways of life, far away from the hustle and bustle lifestyles many are accustomed to. Maine is historically influenced by early Irish and Scottish settlers, which shaped the social and cultural landscape we still see today, imparting a tradition of pride in the people and their surroundings.

The Maine Myth is often told: a self-sufficient place that has somehow avoided the excesses of the rest of the country to maintain a simpler, more connected, humane life characterized by the Golden Age – or simply put, a period in time known for peace, harmony, stability and prosperity.

Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood | 7

Commitment to Conservation and Sustainability Fish was so abundant in Maine that by the 1860s, it dominated the national seafood industry. Stories survive from hundreds of years ago of fishermen dropping their lines and filling up their boats with every kind of fish imaginable to mankind. Technological revolutions in the way fish is caught, handled, preserved and shipped quickly allowed Maine to become one of the richest states in the nation.

However, these technological advances also brought about the demise of the fishing industry. One by one, over-fishing and a lack of conservation took a toll on virtually all fisheries in the Northeast United States.

Today, New England’s storied fishing grounds have been greatly diminished due to a lack of fish. Only one species has defied all predictions, growing in numbers and strength while their aquatic counterparts have nearly disappeared: Homarus americanus, more commonly known as Maine Lobster.

So, how did the lobster not only survive in Maine, but also thrive? Maine’s lobstermen knew, from the very beginning, that they needed to take care of the resource that earned them a living. Having a healthy fishery in the future meant adopting techniques and technologies that are sustainable – something Maine lobstermen have been doing all along.

It has been the way of life for one of America’s most unique cultures.

While other fisheries rapidly adopted new technologies, emphasizing short-term profitability while depleting their stocks, Maine lobstermen – as a community – decided to go another route, thus ensuring the survival and healthfulness of its future.

Lobster fishing communities have always existed and regulated themselves in Maine. The first conservation steps can be traced back to 1872, when legislators passed laws forbidding the taking of egg-bearing females and small lobsters (something the lobster communities were already doing). Over the years, more conservation methods have been put into place in order to maintain the health of the fishery – including v-notching female lobsters with visible eggs to prevent harvesting and encourage breeding, setting trap limits, and outlawing dragging or diving, to name just a few.

Maine lobster communities are deeply rooted in tradition.

They have kept the fishery alive, healthy and growing by implementing and enforcing conservation methods.

In fact, in 1995, Maine legislators handed much of the responsibility for managing the fishery to the lobstermen themselves. This has translated into dividing the coast into seven different zones, each governed by a council of lobstermen democratically elected to watch over the resource. Few industries can cite a similar track record for conservation and sustainability.

Resource Conservation Over the years, the Maine lobster industry has self-regulated in order to care for and preserve the resource.

1872

1874

1987

1917

First law banning taking of egg-bearing females (already a conservation measure practiced by many Maine lobstermen at the time).

Laws regulating minimum size of lobster.

Lobster Institute formed to conduct research and education.

Tail notching - V-notching of female lobsters with visible eggs to prevent harvesting and encourage breeding.

8 | Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

1961

1961

1997

2013

Traps - harvesting by traps only (no dragging or diving).

Lobster Seed Fund - supported by licensing fees.

Trap limits - traps limited by both state and individual lobster zones.

Fishery achieves MSC sustainability certification.

Image: Ted Axelrod

A Bifurcated Market Over the long-term, demand for lobster has shown remarkable resiliency. Landings have nearly doubled and while overall value has not kept pace, it is nearly 70% higher than in 2002.

From its storied past, the Maine lobster industry began to meet rough waters a little more than 10 years ago.

The price of lobster paid at the dock to the lobstermen has been inconsistent, sometimes fluctuating as much as 50% from year to year. Over the long-term, demand for lobster has shown remarkable resiliency. Landings have nearly doubled and while overall value has not kept pace, it is nearly 70% higher than in 2002. The problem is that it has also dropped precipitously at times, causing some years to be very difficult ones for the industry. In large part, this is because of the rising price of fuel and bait, the largest categories of a lobsterman’s expenses.

The result is that the lobstermen simply haven’t been able to keep pace with rising costs. While various attempts have been made to increase the price, the industry has had difficulty expanding the market and creating a strong preference for its products in the face of competition from other regions. Branding can create product differentiation and a marketing campaign can educate trade buyers and consumers on the value-added attributes of Maine lobster. Over time, the demand/supply relationship should become less cyclical and prices rise accordingly. It is price consistency that the industry needs to both plan and expand.

The complexity of Maine lobster’s situation is that it is seen as a luxury product by the consumer, chef and retailer, but as a commodity by the seafood industry. This bifurcation of the market has only exacerbated tensions as lobstermen are seeing consumers pay high prices yet seafood traders pay as little as possible. It’s an uncommon challenge to symbolize luxury at one end and be treated as a commodity at the other. This led to the Maine Lobster Promotion Council retaining Futureshift, an experienced brand strategy consultancy to help solve the problem.

Image: Maine Lobster Promotion Council 10 | Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

Image: Maine Lobster Promotion Council

Image: Maine Lobster Promotion Council

Gaining Customer Insights Futureshift applied its global experience in the food and beverage industry to the challenge, with a common sense approach based on listening to customers.

Successful industries have recognized that growth and product differentiation (see chart on next page) only comes from customers. Brands created internally without customer input have difficulty establishing validity in the market because they don’t appeal to buyer needs.

as a value added product. Again, in this scenario, the Maine lobstermen and dealers have not been part of the industry’s marketing side.

Futureshift spoke with 25 industry members within Maine covering the entire industry: lobstermen, dealers, The approach for Maine’s lobster industry processors, distributors, regulators and the media. Maine’s was to conduct an internal assessment to perspective has been focused almost entirely on internal determine the industry’s capabilities, issues of pricing, quality, regulation and an overall lack beliefs and practices followed by extensive of demand. Yet, the concerns of Maine are not unique interviewing and surveys of customers at every among other food supply industries. In fact, they are buying level to assess their needs quite similar with the exception that and perceptions. By matching internal Maine lobster, unlike beef, poultry capabilities and capacity to the needs or pork, or, for that matter, almost Overall, the Maine of buyers, a winning strategy could be all other seafood, is seen as a luxury lobster industry’s found. Following development of a product. In this regard, Maine lobster objective is to grow strategy, a tactical marketing plan is somewhat similar to truffles, those demand, not just for can be developed to achieve the rare underground tubers that are so industry’s goals. highly valued by chefs and gourmands. whole live lobster but While the truffle market occupies a also for a variety of Talk to any Maine lobsterman and more narrow and lofty level of the he’ll tell you that their primary goal is added value products luxury food market, it’s interesting to to increase the boat price paid by the that are easier to ship note that white Italian truffles can sell dealer when they take possession of after processing. for twice the price of black French their lobsters. But dealers feel hemmed truffles, in part due to availability in by their distributor who has given but predominantly because of their them a maximum price for the product. superior flavor. Chefs, or anybody who cooks, values In most cases, neither side sees what goes on between the flavor more than anything else. end-user and consumer so they have only been seeing the commodity side of the product. It’s on the marketing side Futureshift interviewed and surveyed 185 people on the where money is being made and that’s where the Maine buying side, including the seafood trade (distributors and industry needs to ally itself. wholesalers), chefs, chain restaurant, hotel and cruise-line food and beverage buyers, also retailers and caterers, as Overall, the Maine lobster industry’s objective is to grow well as journalists who cover food and cooking for both demand, not just for whole live lobster, but also for a consumers and the trade. Insights were gained regarding variety of added value products that are easier to ship after their needs (both within the United States and abroad, processing. Approximately half of Maine’s lobsters are including Europe and Asia). Along with this primary sold to Canadian dealers who buy at the same low prices research, secondary research on food industry trends was as other commodity minded buyers. The product goes to conducted to better understand the different domestic and Canada where it is processed and sold to global markets global market channels and best practices being adopted by other food suppliers.

12 | Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

external

Customers

Companies

Awareness Relationships Sales

Capacity Financing Human Resources

external

internal

Industry/Competition Best practices Sustainability Handling

Government internal

Regulation Taxation

Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood | 13

Establishing the Brand’s Core Values When talking to industry participants inside Maine, three themes were commonly expressed:

1

Maine’s image for pristine beauty with lobster being an icon of the state’s image;

2

Lobstering in Maine is about families who have been fishing for generations, mostly from small coastal towns; and,

Maine lobstermen also believe their lobsters taste better than any in the world. It all offered a test of authenticity that would be given to people on the buying side.

The first three strengths all passed the test. When asked, “Regardless of whether you’ve been to Maine, if asked to describe the state, what would you say?” (Chart 1), buyers talked about the state’s beauty, coast, and cleanliness and pictured a fishing paradise.

A senior hotel chain food buyer in New Jersey and a Florida based chef, both never having been to Maine, showed how strong the state’s image is:

3

The aforementioned desire to conserve the state’s lobster resource for future years and the generations that follow.

“Maine? I imagine it as the last frontier in a way, like a beautiful western state but in the east.”

“Maine? Removed, beautiful, coastline, islands, lobster, strong people…that sort of thing.”

Clearly, the image of Maine and all that it represents is a strong asset for the state’s lobster. So are the lobstermen and the communities in which they live because they lend authenticity, a value that is lacking in so many products today. Chefs and retailers overwhelmingly want to collaborate and build relationships with their suppliers at the source. They want to trust their suppliers and know

Chart 1: Regardless of whether you’ve been to Maine, if asked to describe the state, what would you say?

14 | Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

Image: Maine Lobster Promotion Council

Chart 2: Which of the following value-added services/products would make buying, preparing or selling lobster easier?

Image: Ted Axelrod

Chart 3: What differences between lobster regions or the lobsters from those regions are you aware of?

16 | Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

...Establishing the Brand’s Core Values that quality will never be compromised. Their comments are illustrative of the importance of getting to know people at the source to ensure trust: “I try to participate in the purchasing process. I like to know the people that are providing the product. I go see the facilities and talk to the people. I like to know where my product is coming from.”

“When I know exactly where my product is coming from, I’m more confident.”

“Before purchasing, I’ve been to see lobsters and the facilities – I like to know where my product is coming from.”

“It’s often said that great wine is made in the vineyard and so great lobster is made in the ocean and how it’s treated by the person who catches it.”

“If it shows up in quality of the product, then absolutely.

It’s tough to spend thousands more for sustainability but if there is a noticeable difference in the product, it becomes much easier.”

Maine has a great story to tell – an independent, selfregulated, sustainable industry that catches lobsters today much as they did hundreds of years ago.

Some people believe that all lobsters of the Homarus Americanus species taste the same regardless of where they’re caught. The seafood trade doesn’t share that belief (Chart 3). When asked, “What differences between lobster regions or the lobsters from those regions are you aware of?” they described numerous factors.

There are varying opinions as to what makes lobsters from one region different from others. But chefs and retailers agree that flavor While Maine and its lobstermen are is the most important. What of the attributes that provide authenticity and Maine has a great story belief that Maine lobsters taste better contribute to trust, no factor today is to tell – an independent, than those from any other region in more important to a food business’ self-regulated, the world? That’s not only an opinion success than being able to ensure of Mainers or the millions of tourists sustainable industry that quality and safety that comes from who travel there each year. Earlier this catches lobsters sustainable and traceable sources. year, the editors of Serious Eats, Buyers amplified this need with their today much as they did a website dedicated to the celebration comments. Some examples: hundreds of years ago. of food, held a blind taste test (http:// “We deal with environmental and www.seriouseats.com/2013/05/tastesustainability issues everyday. We have test-hard-versus-soft-shell-lobsters. a ‘green council’ that looks at things like this, carbon html) that revealed a strong preference for new shell footprints and such.” lobsters that are common in Maine due to the fishery’s seasonality versus those with hard shells more commonly “We can’t make mistakes. We can’t play with the found in colder waters further north. consumer’s trust. Is the environment safe for these products? Are they handled with care? Do the purveyors love their product and treat it with respect?”

When asked, “Which of the following value-added services/products would make buying, preparing or selling lobsters easier?” buyers ranked factors like traceability, point-of-origin branding and sustainability as the most important to making it easier for them to sell lobsters (Chart 2).

Of course, sustainability certification and traceability programs can increase costs so it’s fair to ask whether chefs and retailers will pay more for the product if those programs are implemented. The response from this chef is typical:

Most Mainers, whether in the lobster industry or not, will tell you that new shells taste sweeter than hard shell lobsters. But seafood distributors tend to prefer hard shells because of their higher meat yield, which fills every nook and cranny of the shell. New shells have less meat yield because there is water in the shell and that may be the secret to the new shell lobster’s sweeter flavor. As one knowledgeable chef suggested, “These are basically live marinating lobsters. The water is creating a brine the same way we brine poultry to get more flavor.” It is sweet flavor that chefs and retailers expect and want (Chart 3) and the independent tasters at SeriousEats.com found the Maine new shell lobsters to be sweet versus a more briny flavor in the hard shell lobsters they tasted.

Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood | 17

...Establishing the Brand’s Core Values Now, the comparison to French and Italian truffles becomes more relevant. Like Italian truffles, the new shell lobsters that dominate Maine’s fishery should sell for more per pound than hard shells due to their superior flavor.

One chef said as much, “Its like with truffles. As soon as you put lobster in a dish, it raises the perceived value dramatically. We might put knuckle meat in a risotto and it changes the customer’s perception immediately.”

Other chefs pointed out two more reasons why new shell lobsters are preferred. The water that is in the shell displacing some of the meat offers a flavorful base for stocks, soups and sauces and the world’s best chefs are using that water now. Additionally, new shells are easier to open making them ideal for large restaurant, hotel or catering kitchens where support labor is limited.

The editor of SeriousEats.com agrees, “A hard shell lobster requires specialized tools—a cracker, mallet, or back of a heavy knife, gloves for handling—and plenty of brute force. I’ve come across claws from large lobsters that are so hard to crack that even a regular hammer with several full-strength hits doesn’t do the trick. Soft shell lobsters can often be shucked with no tools at all, or at the very most, a set of kitchen shears. Personally, I’d rather shuck a dozen soft shell lobsters than a single hard shell lobster, the difference is so great.”

With Maine, the lobstering community and lobstermen themselves, resource conservation and flavor firmly

established as core parts of the Maine lobster brand, the Futureshift branding study found three more values that chefs and retailers want to see represented in the products they buy: quality assurance, innovation and partnerships.

Again, the question, “Which of the following value-added services/products would make buying, preparing or selling lobsters easier?” (Chart 2) provides answers to what gets the market’s attention. Traceability and sustainability programs help ensure quality by monitoring conditions through the supply chain. The seafood industry’s oftenlengthy supply chain requires new and improved shipping methods and materials.

Innovation also means meeting the expectations of chefs and consumers for healthier options and new products.

The quotes below are illustrative of what most end-users and the media covering their industries are thinking.

“For a population seeking healthier choices, the traditional lobster with butter is out of sync with what the consumer, not on vacation in New England, is looking for. Yet, there are so many healthy ways to serve lobster.”

“I’d be thrilled if someone could offer us a natural essence of lobster.”

“We’re always looking at new products and playing around with what we can do with them.”

“With over a thousand restaurants, we can only commit to products we can get on a regular basis with consistent

Chart 4: If asked what lobster tastes like, what would you say?

18 | Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

With Maine, the lobstering community and lobstermen themselves, resource conservation and flavor firmly established as core parts of the Maine lobster brand, the Futureshift branding study found three more values that chefs and retailers want to see represented in the products they buy: quality assurance, innovation and partnerships.

Image: Maine Lobster Promotion Council

...Establishing the Brand’s Core Values

Image: 1880422980 StockFood / Foodcollection / Aurora Photos

Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood | 18 Image: Maine Lobster Promotion Council

Image: 8411000018 Clay McLachlan / Aurora Photos

quality. We can’t raise consumer expectations and then, not deliver.”

Education goes hand-in-hand with innovation and there’s ample evidence that more information and training will pay off (Chart 2). End-users and, increasingly, the entire seafood trade agree that the product includes more than just lobster itself. When compared to other protein sources, there is little knowledge or education about lobster, where it comes from, how it was harvested, and its life cycle. Chefs, in particular, want more training from people at the source who know their product best.

“We’ve had growers come in to tell us about their fruit trees. If your life is in the kitchen, you can’t picture what it’s like picking fruit or catching lobsters. I don’t think I could tell you how they catch them.”

“We’re always interested in learning more. Chefs cook different ways and always want to find more techniques for cooking. How to cook the perfect lobster needs to be known when the reality is that we may cook hundreds at a time and this is very difficult. Also, how to store them.

We’re always interested in great pairings with other foods or wines too. The sommelier needs to know about the product too.”

Chefs and retailers agree that education helps define and sell the product and this brings them back to wanting to have a direct relationship with the people at the source.

They know that when it comes to buying local, Maine

is as local as they can get for lobster. But they also want to know that the lobstermen and their dealers want to partner with them and their organizations.

“If they take the time to understand our business, it tells us they’re listening and want to make the product serve our needs.”

“It’s always better to know who caught our lobsters, something about their experience and where they were fishing. Is the water clean, safe? I imagine it is but I don’t really know.”

“We get to talk to our competitors at CIA and attend seminars with them. We all learn together.”

“We send our people out to conferences for education and training as much as possible although it gets expensive so we like it when we can have suppliers come in and work with our chefs.”

Both national and international food media amplified enduser perceptions. Consumers want to know where food comes from, how it was caught, and how it reached their plate. People want to feel good about the food they eat and they want to share it with the world (Chart 5). Society is more environmentally conscious than it has ever been.

As a result, consumers are demanding more information from food suppliers, supermarkets and restaurants. Much like Maine lobstermen realized hundreds of years ago, people are increasingly recognizing that in order to have a healthy food supply, they must take care of it.

Chart 5: What do you think your readers would most like to know about Maine lobster?

Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood | 21

Seven Core Brand Values While the Futureshift study contains hundreds of pages of interviews, surveys and analysis, the brand story for Maine lobster comes together when seeking the commonalities and intersections between what the Maine industry thinks of itself and what the market needs from them.

1

Maine is quintessentially American

No other place in the United States encapsulates American values quite like Maine: a self-sufficient place that has somehow managed to escape many of the excesses of the rest of the country. Maine is, for a lack of a better phrase, the way life should be.

2

The Community of Lobstermen

A unique, tight knit community who, from the beginning, understood the importance of a healthy fishery and has been self-regulating to ensure it is not only alive today, but also healthy and poised for a bright future.

Sustainability

Without a sustainable fishery, Maine lobster would have ceased to exist.

This fishery is alive and well today thanks to the conservation methods and regulations put into place by lobstermen themselves. Additionally, Maine lobster achieved MSC certification in 2013, allowing Maine to have not only sustainable practices, but certification of them as well.

Flavor

Maine lobster is synonymous with the best tasting lobster in the world.

Futurshift’s extensive interviewing of foodservice, retail and media professionals validates this claim.

Innovation

Maine lobster has been at the forefront of sustainability and conservation innovations and will continue to do so, advocating and adding traceability programs, improved handling techniques, grading and shipping methods.

Partnerships

Maine’s lobster industry actively seeks educational and quality enhancement partnerships with culinary institutions, major foodservice and retail chains and seafood sustainability organizations.

Quality Assurance

Maine lobster is not only focused on the present, but is a best practices advocate. It is committed to becoming the standard for not just the lobster industry, but for other seafood and food commodity industries.

3 4 5 6 7

22 | Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood

Sustainable Maine lobster is the sweetest, most flavorful shellfish on earth that comes from a community of lobstermen committed to innovation, partnerships and resource conservation.

Image: 3291300007 Peter Dennen / Aurora Photos

Moving Forward The Maine lobster industry has listened to the market and will become an advocate for change – change in innovation, transparency, traceability and in delivering consistent quality. This commitment to change, coupled with its core brand values, will shape the Maine lobster brand. The industry foresees being an advocate for improvements in traceability, handling and shipping programs, ensuring a new level of transparency.

The future is bright for the Maine lobster industry and its communities, by embracing change while maintaining it’s traditional values. The industry’s values are expressed in its new brand strategy: Sustainable Maine lobster is the sweetest, most flavorful shellfish on earth that comes from a community of lobstermen committed to innovation, partnerships and resource conservation.

Maine Lobster: America’s Seafood | 23

Futureshift makes companies, industries and countries more competitive in the global marketplace.

Futureshift helps make companies, industries and We help youcompetitive better understand andmarketplace. b2b markets countries more in theb2c global

215 Park Avenue, 100th fl.

New York, Contact: NY 10011

215 Park Avenue South, Fl. 10 New York, NY 10003 212 - 444 -7192/7193

so define that youbrands, can increase your share of trade and inbound We provide customer intelligence, create investment.

We provide strategyplans to increase winning strategies and planning develop and marketing that strategy@futureshiftnow.com 212-444-7192 increase sales and market share. brand loyalty and return on investment. www.futureshiftnow.com strategy@futureshiftnow.com Ourour approach combines marketing experience, We use DirectLink™ proprietary software to not only www.futureshiftnow.com better understand your customer base but also increase it. common sense and proprietary technology to grow and We ensure budget efficiency, operational consistency and better understand your customer base; in selecting the high productivity. best approaches and technologies to reach your goals; Futureshift clients have included companies, trade and, to achieve success in the competitive U.S. market. associations, universities and organizations, and We ensure budget efficiency, operational consistency governments in more than 20 countries. and high productivity.

Our We innovative thinking ensures results. have worked with companies, trade associations and governments in more than twenty countries on a wide range of products, marketing and positioning challenges. We are particularly known for country and industry branding and understanding how to use world events to achieve national or industry goals.

Our innovative thinking ensures results.