Real Good Fish Appoints Partners + Napier as Agency of Record

Real Good Fish, a rapidly growing, subscription-based, direct-to-consumer (DTC) provider of premium, sustainable seafood, has hired Rochester, New York-based Partners + Napier as its first full-service marketing communications agency of record (AOR) following an internally led agency review.

Real Good Fish began in 2012 with strong community roots along Monterey Bay in California. It currently offers customers weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly deliveries of 40+ different species of fresh or frozen fish throughout the year, as well as pick-ups at neighborhood locations.

“Our growth to date has been through word-of-mouth, events, and leveraging the networks of community pick-up locations,” said Alan Lovewell, CEO and founder of Real Good Fish. “Fortunately, when Covid-19 hit, we were well-positioned and ready to meet the new demand.”

Real Good Fish quickly launched home delivery in early March, experiencing massive growth with no disruptions in its supply chain or fulfillment. By the end of June its customer base had doubled and revenue had tripled compared to pre-Covid January and February. 

“The time is right to invest in an agency partner that can help us capitalize on our momentum and lay the foundation for national expansion in 2021,” added Alan. “Partners + Napier has shown a real passion for our brand, fearlessly shares original thinking and ideas, and has an impressive, integrated service offering with expertise growing challenger food brands.”

The scope of the initial assignment spans brand strategy, content creation, and communications planning to guide brand messaging and ongoing customer engagement. Already underway is work that will bring the brand to life from the perspectives of actual Real Good Fish fishermen and customers, as well as professional chefs. 

The seeds of this new relationship were planted at the Consensus Great Brands Show in New York City in the fall of 2019, when Lovewell encountered a Partners + Napier team led by Sharon Napier, agency chair and founder. Napier was personally invested in understanding the Real Good Fish product experience. This meant ordering seafood for her big Italian family, who were all packed into the same home for weeks during quarantine.

“The food space is forever changed and DTC brands like Real Good Fish are leading the way,” said Sharon. “We have found Alan and his team to be close-knit, purpose-driven and deeply invested in ocean health and sustainability issues beyond just selling a product, which we love and admire in a partner.”

 “The pitch itself was done via Google Meet, and the chemistry was immediate. The Real Good Fish team was highly transparent and collaborative throughout the process, true partners from the start,” added Rob Kottkamp, Partners + Napier chief creative officer. “We’re excited to put the full content creation capabilities of our agency to work for this amazing client.”