GBI launches marketing campaign
This April will mark the start of a very important effort within the marine industry — launch of the highly anticipated Discover Boating advertising campaign. Falling under the greater Grow Boating umbrella, the Discover Boating ads promote boating by highlighting its ability to bring together family and friends, and emphasize the joys of spending time together on the water.
Our research indicates nearly 14.5 million U.S. households that do not currently own a boat match both the demographic and geographic profile of first-time boat buyers. It is this audience we’re targeting with Grow Boating media messages.
The industry’s $10.96 million marketing communications campaign will reach potential boaters via print, TV and Internet advertisements at the national level, through aggressive national public relations and other tactics, as part of an integrated plan. Come this spring, consumers will see Discover Boating messages in all three major media outlets and in specialized publications, Web sites and television channels, focusing more specifically general news-, family/lifestyle- and outdoor-related content.
Television ads will be particularly prevalent, with a total of 2,900 national cable spots scheduled to run. Beginning in April, spots can be seen on cable networks such as The Weather Channel, The History Channel, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Travel Channel, CMT, ABC Family and Fox Sports Net.
It is estimated 75 percent of the Grow Boating target audience (350 million impressions) will see three or more messages displayed throughout various media outlets, and 60 percent will see six or more messages. Percentages like these will result in more than 1.5 billion total impressions — including impressions both within and outside the Grow Boating target audience.
This type of national, demographically and geographically diverse exposure is a home run for Grow Boating and the industry as a whole.
Besides a national advertising campaign, the Grow Boating marketing plan also includes a number of other elements, spanning the areas of public relations, promotions, the new Web site (www.discoverboating.com), event marketing (the Discover Boating & Take Me Fishing Tour) and collateral materials (a DVD on how to get started in boating, distributed via the Discover Boating Web site and event marketing efforts).
All pieces of the puzzle fit together to form one strong, pro-boating message, and all roads lead back to the Discover Boating Web site.
