Discover Boating’s Spring/Summer Initiative Concluded With Insights That Will Help Shape 2027 Marketing Strategy, Audience Targeting and Consumer Engagement Efforts
After several months of testing, measuring and refining marketing efforts, Discover Boating has wrapped up its Spring/Summer Test & Learn initiative. The effort was designed to better understand how awareness, participation and engagement grow among prospective boaters and identify which strategies are most effective at reaching people interested in the boating lifestyle.
According to NMMA, the initiative generated a 5% increase in boating-related search activity, approximately 3 million incremental on-water visits and more than double the growth in DiscoverBoating.com visitors and “Hand Raisers’ compared with markets where Discover Boating media was not active.
For dealers, know that these finding will influence how Discover Boating approaches audience targeting, media planning, creative strategy and consumer engagement in the fiscal year 2027. The latest Discover Boating Health Score Index (HSI) also provides a snapshot of where boating awareness, participation and engagement stood as the summer boating season began winding down.
What the August Health Score Index Shows
The August HSI registered at 74%, down nine points from July and two points below August 2025. The score remains 26 points below the August 2024 benchmark of 100.
Several indicators continued to perform well:
- Market visibility remained above benchmark and year-over-year levels
- Boating participation stayed above both benchmark and last year’s levels
- Target audience reach improved for the sixth consecutive month
- Search activity increased 6% from June
- Visitor-to-Hand Raiser conversion rates climbed from 14.6% to 18.3%
The August score reflects a planned reduction in media activity following the completion of Discover Boating’s Test & Learn initiative. Even with less campaign activity, boating awareness, participation and audience reach remained strong.
Why August’s Score Declined
One of the primary factors behind August’s decline was a planned reduction in media spending following the completion of Test & Learn activities. Discover Boating lowered campaign activity to extend available resources through the remainder of the fiscal year.
As a result:
- Campaign performance moderated
- Website traffic declined
- Overall engagement volume decreased
- Several engagement-quality indicators remained positive
Fewer users visited DiscoverBoating.com in August, but a larger percentage took meaningful next steps. The increase in Hand Raiser conversion rates suggests more visitors continued engaging after arriving on the site.
Discover Boating’s testing did not prioritize traffic volume. The focus was understanding which audiences, creative approaches and media investments generated stronger engagement and participation.
What Your Dealership Should Watch Next
As the boating season shift to fall, pay attention to:
- Participation levels and on-water activity
- Audience reach following the conclusion of Test & Learn
- Engagement quality and Hand Raiser conversion rates
- FY27 marketing initiatives informed by 2026 testing
- Consumer awareness and participation trends entering boat show season
Keep an eye on these trends as they help reveal how interest in boating develops before prospects walk into a showroom.
Want to review the original report? Read NMMA’s August Health Score Index update. Looking for additional context, dashboards and webinar recordings? Visit the Discover Boating HSI resource center. New to the Health Score Index? Explore MRAA’s Discover Boating HSI resource page for previous monthly reports, webinar recaps and dealer-focused analysis.
About the Health Score Index
Discover Boating, powered by NMMA and MRAA, developed the Health Score Index to track how consumers are discovering, engaging with and developing interest in recreational boating. The index measures awareness, engagement and participation across the early stages of the customer journey, helping the industry better understand market momentum over time.
