MARKETING 101: The triumph of desalinated ‘Koobi’—Tilapia!

With the proliferation of food joints in every nook and cranny of the country, lunch in the city has become one of abundant variety and has often left people with the burden of indecisiveness! “Hmmm, is it Fufu or Banku, no make it Wakye; sorry, I think I will take jollof instead”! As I quietly observed the young lady before me in the queue who seemed bent on exhausting my hour long lunch break with her baffling crave for almost every food item on the menu, I could not help but wonder how far the food industry in Ghana had come. Back in the days, certain food joints which specialized in only one food item could have monopoly over an entire geographical area! Then; it was certain you wanted to eat whatever food was being sold; all you had to think of was how deep your pangs of hunger were and how much food could satisfy that!

It was such a relief when she finally settled for a menu that seemed like a conscious attempt to invite all the members of the fat and oils family to pitch their tent on her hips! The aroma of the infamous Tilapia which was heavily garnished was enough to salivate all spectators present during Ghana’s world Cup qualification match! However, the cost of that single fish was enough to sew a free school uniform for one child! When I enquired of the cost of the real ‘Koobi’ [salted fish] in the soup, I discovered that its price was one forth, that of the medium sized Tilapia! My facial expression sent a host of marketing lessons my way through the pleasant food attendant. She explained ‘Tilapia is special, it is fresh from the pond, has all the nutrients, and is not salty”. This was baffling because the last time I checked; our famous ‘Koobi’ was also fish derived from Ponds, and had been deliberately made salty to preserve it [one could reason that the process of salting the fish should cost more]! The triumph of Tilapia over Koobi is a simple case of Carving a niche, packaging, and marketing with emotions to appeal to the consumer! Fish Farmers and other stakeholders have marketed Tilapia as the toast of every delightful food experience. In fact, Tilapia has been enhanced with a unique recipe; Ginger, garlic, and soy sauces, coupled with a host of assorted pepper and garnish (I always love the bright red tomato on the fish)! Publicity for Food Joints are never complete without a mouth watering descriptive piece about the unique taste of Banku and Tilapia! The Banku and Tilapia craze has caught up with many Ghanaians who are willing to part with comparatively huge sums, for a bowl of banku and gigantic Tilapia (Restaurants all over the country serve this meal); unlike the unexploited ‘koobi’ which has almost become extinct species in most soups across the country.

Lessons? The world would never give you what you deserve; only what you ask for! As a person, do you under sell yourself? Life is an experience of constant salesmanship! If anyone would hold you in high esteem, you need to prove it and live it! Just like the Tilapia, every individual has the opportunity to either successfully market themselves and become the very best or undersell themselves, refuse to improve upon their quality of life, appearance [grooming], relationships, and the like and be saddled with second best for life! By observation, the major difference between Tilapia and ‘Koobi’ is the appearance and taste! How do you look in terms of your appearance (dress and grooming)? Do you dress to impress or dress to depress? What taste do you leave in people’s mouths upon their interaction with you?

The Choice is yours: Tilapia or Koobi!!!

By: Henrietta Aba Lartey

Email: henritalartey@yahoo.com