PHOTO COURTESY WSFThe Water Sports Foundation and the Hispanic Communications Network completed a Spanish-language educational campaign to promote the use of life jackets to Latino families. The campaign more than doubled its goal of 6.3 million media impressions, with 12.8 million safe boating messages delivered on radio, television and online.
The campaign ran from May 15 to June 8 and included the distribution of public service announcements through La Red Hispana’s affiliate radio stations and integrations on its Bienvenidos a América show, a dedicated page on the La Red Hispana website and distribution of messages through digital platforms. A radio and satellite media tour consisted of 19 radio interviews and six television interviews with safety advocates from the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Funding for the campaign was from a grant from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund administered by the Coast Guard.
“The campaign emphasizes that wearing a life jacket for water-related activities should be as habitual and natural as wearing seatbelts in your car,” Water Sports Foundation executive director Jim Emmons said in a statement. “Safety on the water involves every single member of the family, and it starts with wearing a properly fitted life jacket. Incidents happen very quickly, and when they do, there’s no time to put on a life jacket.”
According to the 2022 Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics Report, 75% of fatal boating incidents victims drowned. Of those victims, 85% were not wearing a life jacket.
