The ATA Introduces Archery 360

The Archery Trade Association (ATA) has collaborated with its member organizations and businesses to launch Archery360.com, a consumer-facing website targeting teens and young adults new to archery and bowhunting.

Archery’s recent popularity surge uncovered a need for easy-to-find online information for beginners: how to shoot, where to shoot, what to buy and how to buy it. The ATA created Archery 360 to help fill this void. The website complements the ATA’s “Release Your Wild” advertising and social campaign, which launched last week to harness and direct surging archery interest among new and young archers.

While the campaign primarily targets teenagers through social engagement, Archery360’s content-heavy site expands on campaign messaging by offering news, how-to’s, product profiles, additional resources and an archery-shop locator.

“This information was — and is — out there, but it’s scattered around the online space and it’s not always written or presented in ways that appeal to this age demographic,” said Jay McAninch, ATA president and CEO. “Archery 360 takes these great beginner resources — many created by our member companies and partner organizations — and puts them all in one spot where young people can find them.”

Equally critical is Archery 360’s commitment to archery-related news, which provides constant and timely archery buzz and timeless resources like the site’s “Getting Started in Archery” section. This section was created as a starting point for the sport’s newcomers.

“You want to give readers utility pieces, like the site’s archery-shop locator, that are practical and useful,” said Jeremy Henricks, ATA director of information architecture. “We also must give readers good reasons to come back. So there’s in-depth coverage of news and entertainment too, like archery’s influence on fall fashions, event coverage of the World Cup Final, or maybe a profile about world-ranked archers and their well-documented tattoos.”

You can track archery’s upsurge to last spring when the blockbuster movie “Hunger Games” was released. This pop-culture moment sustained itself through the 2012 movie “Brave” and Team USA Archery’s silver- and gold-medal winning performances at London’s 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The trend continues to spike as interest grows.

Here are some details about the site’s key features:

1. Shop Locator. If you’ve been inspired to try archery but don’t have a pathway in, archery shops are one of the best places to start. You can check out different types of bows, and many shops have indoor ranges where you can shoot. Many shops also have information on local clubs and tournaments, and offer coaching and repair services. The shop locator helps you search shops by distance and services offered.
2. Getting Started. Archery 360 has a dedicated section to introduce the uninitiated. Readers can explore archery’s three primary disciplines, and get information on choosing the right archery equipment based on the discipline and personal preferences. Another section features safety tips and basic tournament rules. Plus, readers can get briefed on the types of venues and organizations that offer ranges and shooting opportunities.
3. Event Listings and Coverage. The 2012 Olympics spotlighted the world’s best archers, and Americans tuned in: archery was the most-watched Olympic sport on NBC during the network’s first week of Games coverage. When the Olympics ended, the archers didn’t fade away. The USA Archery men’s team took gold Oct. 6 at the World Archery Championships in Turkey. Archery 360 offers complete event coverage and lists all major U.S. events for competitive archers.

Archery 360’s goal is to take a reader’s idea of becoming an archer and make it happen. Along with the site’s shop locator, “Getting Started” feature, and event listings and coverage, Archery 360’s writers report on archery-related news, industry tech, sport lifestyle and entertainment.

USA Archery, the national governing body for Olympic archery in the United States and an online resource for archers, contributes to Archery 360. The group provides accurate and up-to-date information on basic introductions, as well as how to get started, find coaching and — eventually — compete. Discoverarchery.org — an online resource developed by Easton Foundations — was also a critical contributor to Archery 360’s “Getting Started” section.

Archery Trade Association

The Archery Trade Association is the organization for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, sales representatives and others working in the archery and bowhunting industry.

The ATA has served its members since 1953. It is dedicated to making the industry profitable by decreasing business overhead, reducing taxes and government regulation, and increasing participation in archery and bowhunting. The organization also owns and operates the ATA Trade Show, the archery and bowhunting industry’s largest and longest-running trade show worldwide.