Boating and fishing industries unite for summer marketing

Today, RBFF and NMMA announced the creation of an industry-wide marketing campaign to launch this summer as states start to relax stay-at-home restrictions. With the industry working to rebuild coming out of COVID-19-related quarantine, the campaign will share the restorative power of recreational boating and fishing at a time when the wellbeing of Americans is front and center.

“Consumer insights show people are longing for a return to the outdoors, and fishing and boating can be a safe and fun way to social distance and relieve stress,” said RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson. “We want to help people find their way back out to the water while helping our industry rebuild coming out of this global pandemic.

“Throughout history, boating and fishing have provided an escape—a way to chart your own course and create your own adventure—that can only be experienced on the water,” notes NMMA President Frank Hugelmeyer. “In addition to the restorative feeling that comes from this kind of freedom, being able to trailer your own boat to your local waterway and be in charge of who you encounter, provides a bit of control in what is one of the most uncertain and uneasy environments of our time. By coming together as an industry, we have a shot at telling this story like never before and demonstrating how boating and fishing can be the remedy we’re all seeking.” 

In unprecedented coordination, Take Me Fishing and Discover Boating, in addition to engaging other industry groups including the American Sportfishing Association, the Marine Retailers Association of America, BoatUS, marine trade associations and others, will tell our industry’s story around the country. By pooling resources, the groups will gain access to marketing channels in new ways and help the industry come out of the pandemic.

The campaign will feature a public service announcement (PSA), online advertising, social media, and public relations—all of which will be targeted to local areas and ensure a focus on responsible and safe boating and fishing.

To create a unified voice and amplified, consistent message when it launches in June, all industry stakeholders will be given access to carefully created materials developed by Take Me Fishing and Discover Boating for social media, websites, newsletters, and local PR.

Take Me Fishing and Discover Boating have both posted significant gains in web traffic over the last several weeks, an early indicator of increasing interest in getting on the water. In addition to the awareness it will create, the campaign will guide people to TakeMeFishing.org and DiscoverBoating.com to learn, explore, and find ways to go boating and fishing this summer and how to do so safely and responsibly.

“Boating and fishing offer a way to cope with our new reality—being outdoors, spending time with those closest to you, and doing so safely,” added Peterson. “With so many different stakeholders working as a team on this campaign, it gives us a tremendous path to rebuild our industry, together.

Details on the new campaign will be shared in the coming weeks in the RBFF Newsroom and on NMMA.org. Please contact RBFF’s Stephanie Vatalaro at svatalaro@rbff.org or Discover Boating’s Ellen Bradley at ebradley@nmma.org to learn more.