Marketing world is students’ oyster
by
Rebecca Jenkins
Marketing
students Nathalie Larenas and Amy Quinn do not have a natural affinity
for oysters – but they didn’t let that stop them from exploring new
overseas markets for the South Australian delicacy.
Larenas (pictured left) and Quinn have helped to develop an overseas marketing strategy for the South Australian Oyster Research Council as part of their marketing degree at UniSA.
They overcame their dislike of raw oysters for the project, which netted them
each a high distinction – and also helped Quinn claim the title of top student
in the Marketing Project program at UniSA’s School of Marketing awards last
month.
They were given the brief to help the South Australian Oyster Research Council
look for new international export markets. South Australia’s oyster production
outstrips local demand by 45 tonnes every year.
The team met with South Australian growers before identifying Singapore as the most attractive market. They then spent two weeks in Singapore interviewing key seafood distributors and major retail outlets.
At the end of the project, they met with growers in Pt Lincoln to table their marketing plans and also pass on contacts and expressions of interests from distributors and buyers in Singapore. One new customer requested a minimum of 12 tonnes of live oysters a year.
They also found the Pacific oysters, the type grown in SA, were being grown successfully in tropical waters and were supplied to major hotels at an attractive price. It had been thought this type of oyster could not be grown north of Sydney.
This discovery is significant for SA oyster producers who want to export to Asia.
Quinn said the project was a terrific opportunity to experience “real marketing”.
“Everything was real and we had the opportunity to work through a marketing project from start to end. No other course offers this opportunity,” she said. “It was a lot of hard work but was definitely worth it in the end.”
One of the research council’s directors, Theo Eleftheriou, said two other UniSA students had looked at domestic marketing for the council.
Following all the recommendations, the council has set up its own marketing group. Its focuses are branding, a website for the council and continuing to explore export markets.
“The students provided solid research and collated it for us, with specific recommendations on how we should go forward,” he said.
He said the council would be keen to work with the University on collaborative projects again.
School of Marketing program coordinator John Hendrickson congratulated Quinn and Larenas on their work. He said the University’s program allowed students to work full-time for a range of firms while they were studying.
“We’re the only university in SA that offers this sort of program,” he said.
”This is not work experience … they work in the organisation as an in-house
marketing consultant.”