You may love Cornish Pasties, but did you know that they are the most well known Geographical Indications (GI) brand in the UK? This result was revealed in the Brand Dialogue British GI Brands report - a comprehensive exploration of perceptions of British GI brands on the eve of Brexit. The study was launched at the Brand Dialogue Forum in April 2019 in partnership with oriGIn, encouraging the sharing of best practice on leveraging geographic identity and promoting unique products in a changing marketplace.
Since the Forum, we have been continuing our partnership with oriGIn, creating a monthly newsletter to reach all of the UK GI stakeholders (including producers, associations, retailers, experts, and national authorities), the first of which was launched in April 2020. Our objective is to regularly promote the exchange of information and ideas among UK GI stakeholders on how to adapt to the changing world we are faced with, and to consolidate a sense of community. Ultimately, we aim to be able to propose common solutions to national policy-makers by the UK GI system as a whole.
During these challenging times, GI value chains in the UK continue to ensure that all of us have nourishing and high quality food and drink on our tables. Some GIs have even pivoted their production to help meet the demand of hand sanitiser. This not only shows the resilience of GI businesses, but also of human nature.
At the same time, UK GIs face unprecedented challenges, from the contraction of market shares and the rising risks for exports, to the continued uncertainty surrounding the Brexit negotiations and the future of the national GI sector.
Our partnership with oriGIn is an opportunity to explore the needs for and ways to establish a UK GI association. We hope that such a dialogue could lead to the formal creation of such an association during the Brand Dialogue Forum, which will take place on Thursday 29th October 2020. This year's event will focus on exploring the branded business value of GIs and their market situation following the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the impact of COVID-19. Our panel of guest speakers will include senior representatives from DEFRA, the Welsh Government, and the Food and Drink Federation.
You can register for the event here.
Brand Dialogue develops communications strategies to create dialogue that drives brand value, and we pride ourselves as the only PR agency in the UK that specifically focuses on geographic branding, including nation branding, city branding, and supporting brands with a geographical indication (GI). For more than 25 years, Brand Dialogue has focused on leveraging a brand’s geographic location for commercial success. Our team has experience across a wide range of disciplines – from research and insights to communications and marketing – to help drive the success of GI brands. We understand the importance of sharing a brand’s story to reach business objectives. As an example, we have worked with the Parma Ham Consortium as their first and only PR agency in the UK. We began by promoting Parma Ham on and off the bone, and then oversaw the introduction of pre-sliced Parma Ham products into the UK, coordinating a wide range of successful campaigns focusing on origin, tradition, naturalness and traceability. Today, Parma Ham is one of the most well-known Italian products in the UK.