ALEXANDRIA, VA (May 3, 2022) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) launched the Take Me Fishing™ “Get On Board” campaign in April to continue building on the large wave of new anglers and boaters who took to the water during the COVID-19 pandemic. In its third year, the campaign continues to effectively create awareness of fishing and boating among diverse new audiences and motivate participation.
“The Get On Board campaign has had tremendous success over the last two years and is poised to continue effectively recruiting people to fishing and boating,” said RBFF SVP of Marketing & Communications Stephanie Vatalaro. “Our campaign metrics have hit record highs, inspiring our ‘active social family’ target audience to hit the water.”
RBFF’s annual campaign study revealed that Take Me Fishing‘s brand awareness is at a four-year high (40%) among those surveyed – individuals who enjoy the outdoors within ages 18 – 64. 95% intend to fish, and 93% plan to fish from a boat after being exposed to Take Me Fishing brand advertising.
Get On Board, a year-round, fully-integrated national marketing campaign, is anchored by a 30-second video to help more Americans experience the restorative health and wellness benefits of recreational boating and fishing. The hashtag, #TheWaterisOpen, will continue to promote the joys of fishing and boating across Take Me Fishing’s social media channels, supported by a robust media buy including TV, print, radio and digital advertising, and a public relations and influencer media relations campaign.
“While Get on Board continues to work hard at recruitment, we’re also exploring a new opportunity to better engage and retain women in fishing and boating,” said RBFF Director of Marketing Rachel Piacenza. “2020 opened the door to fishing for many women, with a 10% boost in female participation. But we’re still not getting our fair share of them. If we can successfully appeal to women, we could grow the sport by 15% – and that’s not including the family they could bring along.”
To support the 2022 Get On Board campaign, share free fishing days locally and stay tuned for several ways to engage with this year’s 20th anniversary of National Fishing & Boating Week in June.
ABOUT RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase recreational angling and boating participation, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources. RBFF’s 60 in 60 effort strives to attract 60 million anglers to the sport by the end of 2021. To help recruit, retain and reactivate participants, RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ campaigns to build awareness of boating, fishing, and conservation and educate people about the benefits of participation.
The campaign websites feature how-to-videos and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots, helping boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan, and equip for a successful day on the water.
RBFF also offers its industry stakeholders many tools including a Fishing License & Boat Registration Plugin to connect their customers with the information they need in just one click, as well as an embeddable Places to Fish & Boat Map to help their customers discover places to fish and boat near them.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
