Branded Agricultural Products and a Certification System : A Case Study on the Kagoshima Kurobuta (Black Pig) Brand

Abstract

Because of its product characteristics, pork is said to be comparatively difficult to make a strong brand and, even after a brand of pork is established, the price gap among brands is not as significant as beef. Despite this, the Kagoshima Kurobuta has succeeded in developing a celebrated brand and is now the top branded Japanese pork. This paper analyzes the brand development of the Kagoshima Kurobuta, which is said to be a result of product differentiation in the process of production and distribution together with marketing activities to keep the differentiation throughout the distribution channel. The main objectives of this paper are to examine the meaning of agricultural brand through research survey, analyze the brand building process of the Kagoshima Kurobuta with respect to product differentiation, and its tools and discuss the marketing activities to build and maintain the brand such as certification system.