AbstractsBusiness Management & Administration

This thesis studies the communicational practices used in promoting gourmet products in Finland. Its purpose is to find out what kind of communicational practices can be used in promoting products belonging to the gourmet category; to establish if product attributes such as country of origin and ethical production should be used as key marketing messages; and finally to generate insight on the special communicational aspects that have to be taken into account when marketing more unfamiliar meat products such as veal and canned gourmet ready-meals. The theoretical part starts with van der Veen’s definition on luxury foods (2003). Then, the phenomenon of building luxury value through marketing is addressed, with a theoretical framework constructed around Kotler’s (2005) marketing mix. Danziger’s (2005) and Twithcell’s (2001) insights hint that storytelling has a key role in building luxury value. Tamagnini’s & Tregear’s (1998) model indicates that niche marketing can be a good approach in the delicatessen meat sector. Finally, the studies conducted by Leclerc, Schmitt and Dubé (1994) as well as Luomala (2007) indicate that French origins might to be an asset on the Finnish market. A qualitative approach was chosen to gather data. Eight Finnish food professionals, representing four different profiles, were interviewed about their opinions on communication practices in promoting gourmet products and meat. Results show that storytelling is deemed the most efficient way to market gourmet products. After having compiled a coherent story, a food brand needs to expose the story to the desired consumer group(s). Tools to do this can include collaboration with journalists, celebrities, trendsetters and retailers, paid advertising, and using the brand’s own channels. However, the most important marketing channel for food is estimated to be recipes, and according to this study recipes should be an integral part of all marketing communication effort of any gourmet food brand. In addition price, packaging and placement are also essential communicational tools in building added value and differentiating the product from non-gourmet rivals. Both ethical production and French origins are seen as mostly positive product attributes that are worth communicating to the consumers. The degree in which these attributes should be highlighted depends on the segment(s) the product is primarily aimed at. Veal and canned gourmet ready-meals are seen as products that need to adopt a niche marketing strategy, aiming to commit food enthusiasts first. Veal is not seen as a product type that would demand particularly cautious communication measures. Canned gourmet ready meals, on the other hand, are seen as a very tricky product category because of the poor reputation similar products have in Finland. Strong marketing efforts should be placed to make the general attitude change. Because the approach is qualitative and the viewpoints presented by the experts are subjective, the results presented in this thesis cannot be generalized. The…