The strategy for Discover Boating remains steadfast and threefold: invite the next generation, retain new boaters and maintain engagement with legacy boat owners. Since 2005, the campaign has been a pillar of our industry’s consumer outreach efforts, attracting millions of people to boating and helping them get on the water and become boaters.
What’s more, the pandemic created record-high consumer demand and interest, giving us an incredible window of opportunity. In 2021, the campaign attracted more than 5 million unique visitors to Discover Boating websites for the first time in its history. Meanwhile, Discover Boating has been working behind the scenes to evolve the brand, alongside our new agency partner, Cutwater. We began the transition to our new strategy with the introduction of our refreshed visual identity and the launch of the 2022 Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show. This spring, we’ll launch a new campaign that creates a unifying voice and addresses the changing interests of boaters and prospective boaters.
We learned a lot about boaters, growth and emerging boaters while updating our research, including audience segmentation. We conducted new, rigorous research to understand the behaviors, interests and emotional needs of our audience.
Given the shift in the makeup of the U.S. population, boaters, too, are increasingly diverse. Growth segments for boating, especially among the 18- to 34-year-old set, look and behave differently than traditional boaters. They are more likely to be ethnically, racially and attitudinally diverse. And unlike traditional boaters, they didn’t grow up boating. As such, life on the water can seem exclusive and intimidating. To recruit this generation, we need to make them feel welcome. There are many ways to go about this, but authentic representation is critical. Seeing yourself on a boat and in the world of boating makes a significant impact on whether or not you feel welcome.
As many of us know, boating isn’t actually about the boat. Instead, it’s about where the boat can take you and the experiences, moments and memories the boat helps to create. We asked legacy, new and prospective boat owners to share photos with us about what it means to go boating. Not one of them shared a picture of a boat. Rather, they shared images of birds flying free, of family laughing, of people jumping into the air in pure joy. The overwhelming response was that boating takes you to a place of freedom and adventure, far away from the stresses and rules on land. Boating is not a status symbol; it is an experience. Not control, but freedom. It’s community and exploration that takes place on, in and under the water.
The data we gleaned informed our brand identity, campaign creative, media buy, public relations, and digital and in-person experiences, including the Digital Boat Show Guide we launched in January and tested with our Progressive Insurance New York Boat Show presented by Discover Boating, and our Boston, Miami and Atlantic City shows. As of this writing, boatbuilders have uploaded more than 1,000 boats. In a matter of days, the New York Show Guide attracted nearly 10,000 sessions. With this beta version showing early success, we’ll build upon it in the coming months, creating an even simpler, more enjoyable experience for anyone looking to explore boats.
In fact, by this time next year, all boat shows produced by the National Marine Manufacturers Association will have a Digital Boat Show Guide and become part of the Discover Boating experience. The NMMA’s investment in the brand through its boat show media buy, public relations, social media, and on-site and online experiences will extend our industry’s reach, improve the consumer experience and enhance the impact of Discover Boating. We also invite non-NMMA boat shows to make an investment in Discover Boating, to grow our industry together.
Our new campaign launching this spring will have the theme “See You Out Here.” We’ll reach our current target and next-generation boaters through advertising, digital and social content, influencer partnerships, experiences and public relations. As part of this effort, we’ll launch a robust media buy across Google search, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and we’ve formed exciting partnerships with TikTok, Vice, ESPN, Ebony and Telemundo, to name a few.
As part of the new campaign, you’ll see discoverboating.com undergo a creative refresh to a simpler, more connected experience. This includes an improved connection to boat dealers with a new Dealer Finder tool, enhanced navigation, and timely, relevant video, imagery and content. These efforts kickstart a multiyear, multiphase digital transformation for discoverboating.com and discoverboating.ca.
Discover Boating is only as effective as the industry behind the brand. Our job is more of the long game: We help grow our industry by attracting the next generation and helping support retention. If you’re a dealer, manufacturer, boat club, boat show, training course, rental company or marina, your job is more of the short game: engaging with customers through strategic marketing and sales, and providing the excellent experience they expect.
I encourage you to get involved in Discover Boating and ask yourself what you can do to be part of growing our industry. You can stay informed about what we’re doing on your behalf by reading our updates and trade media, and directly from the NMMA and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas; invite us to present to your team; follow us (and engage with us) on social media; use the research, imagery, and Web and social content from MRAA and NMMA to engage with the potential customers we’re sending you; get Marine Industry Certified if you’re a boat dealer; and get your boats NMMA Certified if you’re a boatbuilder.
There’s no question that we’re better together. We hope to See You Out Here. n
Ellen Bradley is senior vice president of marketing and communications, and chief brand officer, at the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue.
