The Marine Stewardship Council has announced the first outcome of its partner support marketing programme – the introduction of an "evolved and improved" MSC ecolabel.
With guidance from its international Board of Trustees, MSC has been working with advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, who generously offered on a pro bono basis to help the MSC add value to partners through marketing and communication. The 14-month process has involved research with consumers in the USA, UK, Germany and Japan, and extensive consultation with partners and stakeholders around the world.
Saatchi & Saatchi worked with the MSC to carry out consumer research and partner feedback which indicated that modification to make the existing logo work harder and add more meaning.
The rollout plan is designed to minimise costs. In addition, the new MSC ecolabel does not require more space on packaging and materials, and the two design options allow flexibility.
The MSC says that it is committed to improving value to partners but not at any cost, and it does not wish to see any partners inconvenienced by the change. To avoid unnecessary costs, it is not asking anyone to change any packaging or materials immediately and is not asking partners to scrap existing packaging or materials. Instead, it is asking partners to make the change only when it is convenient to do so.
The organisation says that it is aware that this gradual change-over will mean that there will be two MSC ecolabels in the marketplace for two or more years. However, because the new ecolabel is an evolution of the current version, the similarity to the existing ecolabel will prevent customer confusion and avoid loss of sales or recognition in the market.
