First-Of-Its-Kind ‘Get On Board’ Campaign Makes Historic Impact on Fishing & Boating Industry

This summer, the recreational boating and fishing industry rallied together in support of a public service campaign to encourage consumers to take to the water, which yielded unparalleled results on many levels. The Get On Board campaign from Take Me Fishing and Discover Boating amplified the industry’s collective voice during a time when consumer interest in safe outdoor recreation was at an all-time high amidst COVID-19 – ultimately generating 1.8 billion impressions and more than 19 million online video views.

“We joined forces with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) to create a first-of-its-kind industry-wide effort, which uniquely positioned us to tell our story to new and existing audiences in a more impactful way,” says National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) President Frank Hugelmeyer. “During these unprecedented times, Americans were compelled to experience the restorative power and social distancing benefits that only boating and fishing can provide. This campaign helped to motivate more people to rediscover their love for the outdoors by offering safe ways to get on the water and reconnect with loved ones.”

The Get On Board integrated marketing campaign featured digital advertising, public service announcements, social media and public relations. Highlights of the campaign’s success include:

Participation Growth

  • Increase of 3 million fishing license registrations year-over-year according to RBFF.
  • Through August, new boat retail sales were up 8 percent from a year ago, marking the highest sales volume in 13 years. More than 165,000 new boats were sold in May, June and July alone, up 25 percent compared to 2019 according to NMMA.

Paid & Earned Media

  • 23,300 PSA airings equating to $3.6 million in ad value – the cost if they were paid ads (up 33 percent year-over-year).
  • 13,000 earned media placements (i.e., CNN, Washington Post, People, HuffPost and USA Today).
  • 381 million impressions from paid advertising in media outlets (up 22 percent year-over-year).

Web & Social Performance

  • 46 percent increase in Discover Boating web traffic year-over-year, especially among target audiences like women (up 59 percent) and Gen Z ages 18-24 (up 125 percent).
  • The Get On Board video was among Discover Boating’s top three most popular social posts of the summer with more than 7,000 video views and 1,900 minutes watched, driving more than 1,200 engagements (website visits, likes, shares, comments).
  • 1,600 social media posts using the campaign hashtag #TheWaterIsOpen creating a social media movement among influencers, brands, outdoor enthusiasts, anglers and boaters.
  • Social content from @TakeMeFishing and @DiscoverBoating reached 179 million impressions (up 165 percent year-over-year).

Social Influencers

  • Two million likes, comments, shares, views and clicks generated by social influencers, significantly exceeded expectations in consumer interactions.
  • Us The Duo got creative by recording videos such as an original cover of the Get On Board theme song and a date night video with safety tips, both garnering one million views in a single week.
  • Allison Anderson went on a boating adventure and encouraged her 1+ million followers to get on the water because of the benefits and accessibility boating offers.

“Aside from the fact that RBFF and NMMA saw a rise in fishing license registrations and new boat sales respectively this year, the Get On Board campaign piqued consumer interest at the right time and provided the perfect remedy to pandemic stress that triggered a flurry of positive attention around fishing and boating,” says Frank Peterson, President and CEO of RBFF. “We are thrilled to see an influx in participation and to have strategically sparked more meaningful engagements with people, which is valuable to bringing in the next generation of anglers and boaters in an organic way.”

Additionally, RBFF saw record growth in diverse audiences including an increase of more than four million Hispanic participants and nearly 18 million female participants this year compared to last year. NMMA also saw an uptick in diverse boat buyers amid the pandemic compared to the baseline – more female first-time boat buyers and repeat boat buyers (up one percentage point), more minorities (up three percentage points for repeat buyers) and younger demographics in first-time boat buyers (median age is 48 compared to 51).

“With the industry’s collaborative efforts, we were able to leverage the Get On Board assets and bring more awareness to boating and fishing than ever before,” says Matt Gruhn, MRAA president. “We are proud that nearly 400 marine industry businesses got involved to support the campaign and help spread the message that boating and fishing are enjoyable ways to recreate responsibly among many Americans who were yearning for safe outdoor recreation this summer.”

CHECK OUT THE SIZZLE REEL TO VIEW CAMPAIGN RESULTS

For questions about Get On Board, please contact Take Me Fishing’s Stephanie Vatalaro at svatalaro@rbff.org or Discover Boating’s Ellen Bradley at ebradley@nmma.org.