APSP Quarterly - Spring 2008 - (Page 34)

This past year marked our second year of the campaign, which is designed to spread positive messages about boating, get more people interested in t he boat ing lifest yle and ultimately turn dreamers into boat owners. A review of the campaign since inception indicates growth in overall brand and message awareness. In a short amount of time, we’ve reached a considerable number of potential boat buyers with our Discover Boating messages and are excited to see the campaign resonating among our target audience. Since its debut in April 2006, the Discover Boating consumer marketing campaign has increased awareness of the Discover Boating brand to 36 percent, with more than one-third of all people claiming to be aware of the brand. In 2008, we hope to drive that awareness level to 40 percent, just under the level documented with the decade-old GoRVing campaign. As a benchmark, GoRVing had achieved a 22 percent awareness level after their fi rst two years. The research also showed a high score of 79 percent “likeabilit y” for our latest television commercial, entitled “Dogs,” which amusingly featured canines on boats. Scores above 60 percent indicate the likelihood that a commercial will influence consumer perception and behavior. The research goes on to reveal that one-third of non-boat-owning Americans who viewed the Discover Boating television commercials said the ads would have a positive effect on their likelihood to go boating in the future, with 48 percent of viewers saying they are “extremely likely” or “very likely” to go boating sometime in the next 12 months. Awareness of our campaign has a significant impact on intent to participate and intent to someday purchase a boat. This is the strongest indicator yet that our advertising is having the desired impact on the customers we are trying most to reach. Demon s t r at i n g t he c a mp a ig n’s i mp ac t , t r a f f ic t o DiscoverBoating.com has seen significant growth in 2007. We fi nished the fiscal year with 3.2 million visitors, a growth of 1.2 million visitors over 2006. What’s just as impressive is that even with the increase in visitors, time spent on the site increased from nine minutes per session to 11 minutes per session. Further, we know at least 14 percent of the people who registered with us have since purchased a boat. Another factor contributing to this year’s increased brand awareness is the 2007 Discover Boating public relations effort, which had exceeded 200 million media impressions through the end of September. The media value of these efforts is estimated to be at least $5 million. We combine aggressive local PR initiatives in key markets across the country with national efforts in promoting boating and the boating lifestyle. 3 4 | AQ A P S P Q UA R T E R LY In 2007, we added a vital component which included a highly impactful short fi lm entitled “A Good Run.” The movie highlights the role boating played in one man’s life, and how he sought to pass this legacy on to his grandson. “A Good Run” has already earned several advertising industry awards and was posted to a variety of popular websites including YouTube, Yahoo, MSN and Google Video, as well as DiscoverBoating.com and dozens of stakeholder websites. We estimate that more than a million people have seen the short fi lm, at least 200,000 of whom viewed it in conjunction with a Father’s Day e-card promotion on AmericanGreetings.com. Type in Good Run at YouTube to view the four-minute fi lm. All of our advertising, PR, and promotion encourages people to consider boating as a way to connect with the people they care about and drives them to our website, DiscoverBoating.com. This website features dozens of ways potential new boaters can take next steps. The website features a “boat selector tool” to help people narrow their choices. It also has a national calendar of “test drive” events and boat shows. The “Get Started in Boating” DVD can be ordered online free of charge and provides an opportunity for participants to opt in to receive information from boat manufacturers and dealers. One medium alone cannot create the awareness gains we’ve garnered. An integrated approach that reaches consumers in a variety of ways is most impactful. Keeping our messaging clear, consistent, and connected is ultimately fueling our success. The initiative is a long-term plan designed to get more people interested in boating, eventually bring them into the purchase “funnel,” and ensure a great experience once they buy a boat. It’s important to remember that these goals will not be fully achieved during the initiative’s fi rst few years. This is an ambitious, yet attainable set of goals that takes time to complete. But make no mistake; the boating industry has put itself on a progressive track, and isn’t looking back. Although macro-economic conditions have placed many headwinds on our industry’s stakeholders, we’re extremely satisfied with the results we’re achieving. Although new boat sales were down for 2007, since launching the Grow Boating Initiative, we’ve seen an increase in boating participation of more than six percent, as measured by the American Sporting Goods Association. Power boat participation increased more than any other outdoor activity in 2006. Participation is a critical step that will ultimately lead to additional boat sales. And we’re confident that these four million new boating participants (since 2005) are having a better experience than they would have had the boating industry not rallied together to improve through the Grow Boating Initiative. AQ Steve Tadd is the director of the boating industry’s Grow Boating Initiative, leading the funding, governance, strategic planning, and industry communications of this important set of programs. Tadd has worked for NMMA for nearly seven years. Prior to taking on Grow Boating, he was the director of Discover Boating, where he built the Discover Boating brand from its infancy. http://DiscoverBoating.com http://AmericanGreetings.com http://DiscoverBoating.com http://DiscoverBoating.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of APSP Quarterly - Spring 2008

APSP Quarterly - Spring 2008 Contents President's Message Chairman's Message International Awards of Excellence Spotlight Quality and Innovation If You're Still in the Pool Business, You're Leaving Money on the Table Gunslingers for Sale-s Can Pool Builders Hedge a Tough Year With... Hedges? Creating a Shared Vision: An Interview with PoolCorp CEO Manny Perez de la Mesa Grow Boating Initiative Helps Industry Imagine a Better Tomorrow First Ever CBP of the Year Award Presented at Inaugural CBP Recognition Dinner Safety Department News & Resources Advertiser's Index

APSP Quarterly - Spring 2008

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