Recreational Boating/Fishing Foundation Reports Marketing Effectiveness
OutdoorHub 11.22.13
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation announced that its state marketing programs continue to positively affect state fishing license sales and boat registrations.
Forty states participated in the 2013 Fishing License Marketing Program, now in its sixth year, sending out 2.71 million direct mail pieces. Results reveal that 229,310 licenses were sold and more than $4.6 million was generated in gross program revenue.
Nineteen states participated in the second year of the Boat Registration Marketing Program, sending out more than 588,000 direct mail pieces. Through the program, 48,011 boat owners were drawn to reregister their boats, leading to nearly $1.7 million in gross program revenue.
The fishing and boating programs achieved strong response rates of 7.34 and 9.52 percent, respectively, well above the U.S. average response rate of 4.4 percent for print direct mail, according to the Direct Marketing Association.
Participating state agencies also are expected to benefit from an additional $1.3 million for both programs from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, in addition to the revenue gained through partnering with RBFF on the programs.
“We are pleased that both programs continue to see positive results,” RBFF president and CEO Frank Peterson said in a statement. “These programs help us meet our mission to increase participation in fishing and boating and help fund critical state conservation efforts, ensuring our aquatic resources can be enjoyed for years to come.”
Although each program is continually evolving to best connect with anglers and boaters, the RBFF’s main focus is on expanding both programs to maximize results and continue to bring thousands of boaters and anglers back onto the water.
In addition to the state marketing programs, the RBFF drives consumers to the license and registration pages on state agency websites. During fiscal 2013, TakeMeFishing.org drove more than 1.2 million referrals to state fishing license pages and nearly 110,000 referrals to state boat registration pages.
