From television cooking shows to social media, an intensified media focus on food has increased public visibility of issues of food provenance and sustainability in recent years. This has profoundly changed the communications landscape in which Australian food industries operate. There is now increased scrutiny and criticism of food industry activities not just from the ‘usual suspects’ (such as environmental activists), but also from a range of new players: celebrity chefs, food bloggers, social media ‘clicktivists’, and other media influencers. On the issue of sustainable seafood, these influencers have often been successful in securing a greater share of media ‘voice’ than industry itself. This is concerning because influencers’ messages are not always aligned with industry claims or with Government sustainability assessments. We know from international research that food celebrities and food media can either encourage or deter seafood consumption depending on the message (Bowman & Stewart 2013), but we don’t yet know what the impact is of Australian media, and media influencers, on consumer purchasing intentions, their attitudes and beliefs regarding the sustainability of Australian seafood, and the social acceptability of the industry. Aligning with National Priority 1 and its focus on industry communications strategy, this project will examine media coverage of Australian domestic fisheries sectors to identify: the messages about sustainable seafood prominent in Australian media; the media influencers, strategies, and professional networks underpinning their circulation; and how these messages are understood and interpreted by consumers. This knowledge will be used to inform communication strategies that will ensure clearer sustainability messages, reduce consumer confusion, and improve consumer trust in the Australian seafood industry.
Project number:
2017-131
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$85,550.36
Principal Investigator:
Michelle Phillipov
Organisation:
University of Adelaide
Project start/end date:
31 Dec 2017
-
30 Dec 2019
Contact:
FRDC
1. To identify the role and preferred mechanisms of media influencers in shaping media messages about the sustainability of Australian produced seafood and the Australian domestic seafood industry that are successful in achieving the greatest share of media ‘voice’, and to evaluate the impacts of this on consumer perceptions.
2. Contribute to the ongoing development of National Priority 1 Communications Strategy.
3. Offer best-practice strategies for dealing with the divergent messages from industry, and media influencers, and in doing so, boost the profile of the Australian seafood industry achievements in relation to sustainability initiatives.
Author:
Michelle Phillipov
Article
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2018-08-27
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218.11 KB
Media Messages about Sustainable Seafood_Update 1.pdf
We have conducted a comprehensive media survey of key media texts across all major genres and platforms for the past 3 years (2015-2018) to identify: the major reported issues affecting seafood sustainability; the role of celebrity chefs and media influencers in this media coverage; and the effects of different media and communications strategies in contributing to ‘share of voice’ in key issues.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-209
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
Workshop event: Establishing a maritime training and education facility on the NSW South Coast
Commercial in confidence
ORGANISATION:
Barangaroo Consulting
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-179
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
Community Trust in Rural Industries 2022-2025 - Joint RDC initiative
1. Develop capability across the sector to monitor, anticipate and respond to shifts in the levels oftrust the community has in Australia's rural industries.
ORGANISATION:
AgriFutures Australia
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-170
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
FRDC Fish Tank: building the research communities capability and capacity (Seafood Directions 2024/2026)
1. Build presentation capability and creative outlets of and for the FRDC's research community
ORGANISATION:
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC)