Blogs

By David Gee The National Association of Manufacturers released a survey today of its member companies on the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak to manufacturers. The survey was conducted in the field from Feb. 28 to March 9. The 558 respondents were asked about effects to their supply chain and operations, their financial expectations and their emergency response plans. More ...

By Chris Bank It’s no surprise that in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” many of our favorite recreational activities take place against the backdrop of Minnesota’s abundant bodies of water. With more than 820,000 registered boats across the state — amounting to roughly one boat for every six Minnesotans — sports like fishing, water skiing and wake surfing are widely ...

By David Gee While doing interviews for an upcoming Market Trends story on outboards, we caught up with Tracy Crocker, president, BRP Marine Group, at the Miami International Boat Show. The following is an unedited transcript of that interview. Boating Industry: Retail sales for outboards increased for the eighth straight year in 2019, with unit sales reaching a 13-year high. ...

By David Gee In the next issue of the magazine, we will be running a Market Trends piece on outboards. We don’t want to steal any of the thunder from that story, but we did gather some good interviews. And since we don’t have the space to include the complete interviews in the magazine, we thought we would feature some ...

By David Gee Cool products, cool people, cool place and warm weather. That is, or was, the 2020 Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show. And five days, 100,000 people, and lots of sales later, it has successfully concluded. There were some preview events last Wednesday, but for the media, Thursday is the big day. Myself, Boating Industry managing editor Adam ...

By David Gee It’s on. The Miami International Boat Show has officially begun. Or to be more accurate, the Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show, presented by West Marine, is underway. 2020 marks the 79th year of the five-day show which occupies an important part of the boating industry’s annual calendar. Speaking of the calendar, it doesn’t hurt to hold ...

By David Gee “Even if you have all the money in the world to spend, the best way to market your business is through social media,” says no less an authority than Sir Richard Branson, world-renowned entrepreneur, and the man once named world’s top social media CEO. “Social media works because it puts products and information in front of the ...

By Bill Yeargin 2020 is a U.S. presidential election year with the first caucuses and primaries right around the corner. Before we know it, November will be here, and the citizens of the U.S. will be voting. Election years in the U.S. are interesting because they result in a unique and intense focus on political topics that is beyond the ...

By Mark Overbye In the olden days of business, a manufacturer drove the product cycle, internally deciding how products got developed and presented in a controlled manner. Developed in the 1960’s, the “4 P’s” representing Product, Price, Place, Promotion comprised a business strategy that helped define success in that bygone era. It’s a supplier-sided mindset that defines how products get ...

By Lauren Labunsky Happy New Year, boat dealers! Many of you likely set goals or made a New Year’s resolution for your business – was digital marketing strategy at the forefront of your mind when you thought about how to help your dealership achieve more success in 2020? If not, you may want to re-think plans for your business in ...