| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Genre | Seafood |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California, USA |
| Owner(s) | Thai Union Group |
| Website | www.chickenofthesea.com |
Chicken of the Sea is a brand of canned tuna produced by a company owned by Thai Union Group.
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Based in San Diego, California, the company markets a variety of other seafood items under the Chicken of the Sea brand name, including clam, crab, mackerel, salmon, sardines and tuna. The original company was founded in 1914 when Frank Van Camp and his son bought the California Tuna Canning Company and changed the name to the Van Camp Seafood Company. The phrase Chicken of the Sea, first devised as a way to describe the taste, was so successful that soon it also became the company name.
In 1963, Van Camp Seafood Company was purchased by Ralston Purina. In 1988, Ralston sold its Van Camp division to an Indonesian corporation, P.T. Mantrust, which had financial problems, and the primary creditor, Prudential Life Insurance, became the majority owner.
In 1997 the company was purchased by the investment group Tri-Union Seafoods LLC, made up of three partners:
The new owners changed the name of Van Camp Seafood Company to Chicken of the Sea International. In 2000, Tri-Marine International Inc and Edmund A. Gann sold their 50 percent interest in Chicken of the Sea to Thai Union International, Inc., leaving Thai Union the sole owner of the company. Chicken of the Sea International and Tri-Union International LLC merged into one company, still called Chicken of the Sea International.
With the 2003 acquisition of Empress International, an importer of frozen shrimp and other shellfish, Chicken of the Sea's total annual sales climbed to $600 million. In 2006, Thai Union formed a new division, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods, to focus on sales of premium quality fresh and frozen seafood products. This division has grown quickly, helping to further grow Chicken of the Sea's brand awareness and distribution in the foodservice and retail industries.
Their advertising mascot, a blonde mermaid with a golden scepter, was introduced in the 1950s and soon became a familiar product icon. The company's official explanation for the name of their product:
| “ | Simpson: Is this chicken what I have, or is this fish? I know it’s tuna, but it says Chicken ... by the sea. Is that stupid?
[Long pause, with Lachey giving Simpson a dirty look] Simpson: What? Don’t make fun of me right now. I’m not in the mood. Lachey: You act like you’ve never had tuna before. Simpson: I’ve had tuna fish, like, sandwiches and stuff, like this. Lachey: Baby, you and I have eaten tuna like this before. Simpson: Why is it called "Chicken by the Sea" or "in the Sea"? Lachey: "Chicken of the Sea" is the brand. Simpson: Oh. Lachey: You know, 'cause a lot of people eat tuna, it's like a lot of people eat chicken? So it's like the chicken of the sea. Simpson: Okay. I understand now. I was ... I read it wrong. |
” |
Her question and Lachey's attempt to explain, brought so much media coverage that Chicken of the Sea's Senior Vice President of Marketing, Don George, capitalized on the incident. He invited Simpson to the company's October 2003 San Diego sales conference for promotional purposes. For an undisclosed fee, Simpson attended, receiving a standing ovation from the company's employees. After George explained the meaning of the product's name, he and Simpson sang the company's jingle, "Ask Any Mermaid," and she was given an apron and a basket of Chicken of the Sea products. She autographed cans for the employees. After the meeting, a video news release featuring a Don George interview and highlights of Simpson's appearance at the sales meeting was distributed. The story was picked up by close to 750 prime time affiliates, 10 national television shows, including E! and Inside Edition, and more than 22 cable shows. The company's PR firm estimated that this promotional event reached an audience of more than 38 million television viewers.