RBLC task force to re-engage on diversity initiatives

As part of its continued efforts to grow boating, the Recreational Boating Leadership Council’s New Markets Task Force is reorganizing to address its next phase of work within the recreational boating industry.

According to chairperson Wanda Kenton Smith, the original 35-person task force collaborated a few years ago to research and share latest diversity findings and trends, plus developed and produced a series of custom videos as part of a professional educational module which was presented throughout the industry.

The series, “Proven Strategies to Engage New Markets,” provided a detailed demographic overview of emerging ethnicities, coupled with in-depth interviews featuring five organizations in the marine industry who were successfully engaging diverse audiences. The video series won the national Neptune Award for diversity presented by Marine Marketers of America.  

“Our task force did a great job in identifying the growth of specific ethnic markets and communicating their growing economic clout and buying power,” said Kenton Smith. “Our goal was to educate the industry, share best practices and encourage manufacturers and retailers to be more inclusive and welcoming to a broader audience of prospective buyers.”

In addition to the live presentations conducted around the country, online webinars and tip sheets, plus access to archived videos available on demand, the task force also produced a series of full-and half-page advertisements which were published in key industry B2B trade media.

“We believe the New Markets campaign achieved its initial goals of educating the industry about the explosive growth of key demographic segments and their respective buying power,” said Kenton Smith. “Now, we are ready to re-engage with our task force to discuss and develop the second phase of ongoing education and potential outreach.”

The New Markets Task Force is comprised of individuals working within the North American marine industry who either represent specific ethnicities, or who have interest in becoming involved in efforts to attract diverse audiences to boating. In addition, the task force is interested in hearing from organizations within the recreational boating segment who may have best practices to share regarding sales and marketing initiatives to diverse audiences.

“Our initial task force did an awesome job and their enthusiasm and collective contributions made a positive impact on our industry,” said Kenton Smith. “We are excited to move forward in 2020 to continue this important effort and dialog. We welcome any and all to become actively engaged in our forthcoming plans and development.”

To request membership on the task force or to share best practices, email contact information to Wanda Kenton Smith – wanda@kentonsmithmarketing.com. 

Information on the previous video series, “Proven Strategies to Engage New Markets,“ is housed on the RBLC website at http://rblc.org/rblc-downloads.html.