Celebrities sell. And a celebrity whose music sells escapism will surely sell shrimp. That idea prompted a group in the retail division of Ocean Cuisine to pursue Jimmy Buffett, the king of escapism, to lend the name of his most emblematic song to a line of prepared shrimp products.
“It seemed to us to make a lot of sense. There were a lot of good feelings about the idea of a Margaritaville brand and the synergies between the concept and the times that folks eat shrimp,” said Tom Keane, president of Margaritaville Foods in Exeter, New Hampshire. Keane left Ocean Cuisine to join the start-up Margaritaville company in October, after 12 years with FPI/Ocean Cuisine. This year, two new products join the Margaritaville line of retail seafoods produced by Ocean Cuisine, bringing the total to six. Unlike most retail products, this line has a history rooted as much in rock and roll as seafood. “It seemed like a match made in heaven, and it turned out to be right,” said Keane. “It’s two or three times more successful than anyone anticipated.” The launch of the first four shrimp products set a club store record for one-week sales. Before the success, however, the retail team spent a year and half trying to turn the idea into reality. “The idea came from our side, but we had to find the right person to make the decision on Jimmy Buffett’s behalf,” said Keane. “We went on a quest, and it took a while. Once the conversation began, it progressed quickly.”
Simultaneously, Ocean Cuisine worked to develop the product “so we would have something to show them when we finally met,” said Keane. “At the first meeting, we brought samples of the first four shrimp products and cooked them up in a sandwich shop near the office.” Once the deal was made and the executive chef from Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant chain made minor changes to the recipes, the fun began.
Promotion of the product began to resemble something from a Buffett song. “We did what we call `guerilla marketing’ since we started without many resources,” said Keane. “We gave away samples in the parking lots at Jimmy Buffett shows.”
The first samples were distributed from an old motor coach that broke down en route to the first show and then made breaking down a habit, said Chris Marston of Gloucester, senior account manager with the Ocean Choice retail division. Finally, the team retired the old Blue Paradise and bought a newer bus.
“We’re selling an idea and a concept along with the product — we’re selling escapism. Parrotheads represent Type A escapism,” said Tom Quinn, Ocean Cuisine director of retail grocery sales. The Margaritaville seafood products are licensed to Ocean Cuisine though Margaritaville Foods. But after the deal was made and before they were allowed to give samples to Parrotheads in parking lots, the team had to get approval for the products from Jimmy Buffett himself, the entire band and all the people who go on the road with him.
“We brought the shrimp products and went backstage to make dinner for 125 people, including Jimmy and his wife,” said Keane. “He’s a real down-to-earth person and he likes to know his people are on board with things he does. If they didn’t like the product, he would not have been inclined to pursue it. “They loved it. The rest is history,” said Keane.
