The 2025 winter boat show season begins this week, and the NMMA is working at full throttle with a board-approved 30% year-over-year increase in its media investment. The additional spend comes as NMMA aims to support the industry in navigating today’s evolving economic landscape and meet consumers where they are.
While current economic conditions have impacted discretionary spending across many sectors, NMMA is taking proactive steps to ensure boating remains an accessible and attractive lifestyle choice. With the increased media investment, this season’s strategy focuses on being out earlier in the market, maximizing visibility and building excitement by reaching our target audience as many times as possible in every Discover Boating show market.
By targeting the highest-performing media channels and delivering inspiring, value-driven messages, NMMA is focused on maximizing impact and attracting show goers—all while showcasing the unique joy and long-term value of life on the water.
The expanded media buy spans a mix of channels including:
- Traditional TV and radio
- Streaming and digital TV and radio
- Billboards
- New outdoor/out of home (ex. transportation hubs like trains, buses, & commuter areas)
- Social media
- Digital/web ads
- Search
- Activations (ex. expanded influencer campaigns, partners & promos)
Additionally, public relations efforts began earlier this year to generate awareness for boat shows, with strong news momentum to kick off the boat show selling season. To date, PR has generated more than 175 news hits for Discover Boating Boat Shows across the country, generating $297,000 in publicity value and 286 million impressions (think of impressions like the number of people who see your message or for example, like foot traffic in a busy shopping mall — it would be akin to how many people passed by and had the chance to see your storefront. While not everyone stops to look closely, the more foot traffic, the more likely you are to capture attention). Here are a few news highlights:
- A feature spread on the New England Boat Show in the print Sunday edition of Boston Globe & digital
- NBC Chicago boat show preview
- WSB-TV Atlanta boat Show preview
For questions about exhibiting in Discover Boating Boat Shows, please contact NMMA Senior Vice President of Shows and Events, Jennifer Thompson, at jthompson@nmma.org. For questions about Discover Boating and NMMA’s consumer marketing efforts, please contact NMMA Chief Brand Officer and Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Ellen Bradley, at ebradley@nmma.org.
Visit DiscoverBoating.com/boat-shows for a comprehensive 2025 show calendar.
