Page 33 - RW-APRIL-2021

MARKETING NEWS CELEBRATING CULTURAL DIVERSITY WITH VEGEMITE Vegemite is encouraging Aussies to celebrate Australia’s diversity of cultures, languages and flavours by sharing a series of varied ways to enjoy Vegemite. In the spirit of the recent Harmony Week, and to celebrate Australia’s melting pot of cultures and flavours, Vegemite has released a series of recipe ideas inspired by the country’s rich heritage – think Vegemite pho or Vegemite stir fry. As part of the celebration of Australia’s diverse culture, Vegemite is also putting the nation’s multiculturalism at the “front and centre” of the Australian landscape. The brand has unveiled large-scale outdoor advertising with Vegemite’s “classic” ‘Tastes Like Australia’ headline translated into the top 10 most spoken languages in the country – Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Arabic, Italian, Greek, Tagalog, Hindi, Spanish and English. The multilingual ads will also be posted on social media. Citing data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Vegemite says 49 per cent of Australians were either born overseas or one or both parents were born in a different country. It’s not surprising then, claims Vegemite, that there are more than 300 separately identified languages being spoken in Australian homes. “Australia is a wonderful and truly unique nation, but more than anything, it’s diverse and multicultural,” Bega Cheese Marketing Manager Spreads Jacqui Roth said. “Like the platypus and the Big Prawn, Vegemite is a symbol of Australia’s national identity, so we feel we have a duty to recognise how important different cultures have been in shaping our country ... and our national cuisine for that matter. “This past year has shown us how unique Australia is and how great we are as a country. We want to encourage Aussies to celebrate our culture and the ingredient that makes us great – our people. What a better way to do that than enjoying the mix of flavours that make up the taste of Australia and celebrating the diverse languages spoken Down Under.” The new Vegemite recipes will be available on the Vegemite website and social media channels. Australians are also invited to share their favourite non-traditional dishes using Vegemite by posting on Instagram with the hashtag #TastesLikeAustralia. 10-YEAR PARTNERSHIP THAT ‘ADVANCED SUSTAINABILITY’ During Sustainable Seafood Week last month, John West and WWF- Australia took the opportunity to mark their 10- year partnership and raise awareness about the importance of championing action to protect fish and marine life. According to WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman, the partnership has advanced sustainability in the canned tuna industry in Australia over the past decade. “John West was one of the first companies to adopt the best standards in seafood sustainability and has helped ensure that Australian shoppers now have more opportunities than ever to choose responsibly sourced seafood at the supermarket,” he said. “We’re proud of all that we’ve achieved together to safeguard our oceans in the past 10 years, and we look forward to continuing to co-design innovative solutions into the future.” Simplot Australia Managing Director Graham Dugdale says WWF has guided Simplot’s John West brand on adopting the best standards in responsibly sourced seafood, which includes the Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s certification and labelling scheme. “While providing consumers with responsibly sourced seafood is paramount to our business, we’re also extremely proud of how this partnership has enabled us to give back to the communities in which we operate,” he said. Simplot is said to have contributed more than $1 million to WWF-Australia conservation projects to help protect the oceans and fish species. APR, 2021 RETAIL WORLD 31