December NewsWaves

Table of Contents

60 in 60: Where We Stand

The 60 in 60 goal gained significant momentum in 2017, but what does the landscape look like now? And where are we headed in the coming year? We sat down with RBFF President & CEO Frank Peterson to reflect on how far we’ve come and what’s on the horizon. Here's what he had to say:



 

  1. What successes has RBFF seen this year on the road to 60 in 60?
  2. How are state and industry stakeholders supporting 60 in 60?
  3. What three things will help us reach 60 in 60?
  4. How does technology impact fishing and boating participation?
  5. What does RBFF have in store for 2018?

As we continue in our pursuit of 60 in 60, join us in recruiting, retaining and reactivating (R3) anglers and boaters with the help of our free resources and be sure to subscribe to NewsWaves and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news and information.

R3, Branding Take Center Stage at RBFF’s 2017 State Marketing Workshop

This year’s State Marketing Workshop was the biggest yet – and not just because it was the first time all 50 states were in attendance. Themed Activating R3 Strategies to Achieve Success, this year’s Workshop marked the largest attendance, sponsor support and content provided to participants.

Workshop attendees participated in a variety of business sessions and networking events aimed at helping state agencies develop and improve their recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) strategies. For the first time ever, content was broken down into three separate “tracks” for marketing and outreach personnel and state agency directors, allowing for a customizable Workshop experience.

Attendees heard engaging and energizing presentations from:

  • Rich Hohne, Director of Product Marketing, Simms Fishing, who introduced the audience to Simms, Orvis and other fishing industry members’ quest to reach gender parity in fishing, the “50/50 On the Water” initiative. Hohne also showed how state agencies can leverage their brands to foster loyalty.
  • David McCormick, Senior Marketing Strategist, Blast Analytics & Marketing, discussed the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for government organizations in his morning session, and then dove into six steps state agencies can take to boost their SEO in a breakout session.
  • Ryan Olson, Group Account Director, Colle McVoy, touched on the importance of branding in R3 efforts and revealed consumer trends that state agencies should be keeping an eye on and leveraging in the coming years.
  • Kris McCarthy, Associate Director, and Nicole McSweeney, Outreach & Marketing Coordinator, both of the Massachusetts Division of Fish & Wildlife detailed their agency’s rebranding efforts and statewide marketing campaign focusing on R3.
  • And much more!

Eight state agency directors, including Paul Johansen with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, attended the Workshop. “This year’s RBFF State Marketing Workshop set the bar very high,” said Johansen. “Once again, the folks at RBFF managed to exceed my expectations. This was time well spent!”

A record $80,000 was raised for the 2017 State Marketing Workshop. RBFF is grateful for the support of the following sponsors: Diamond: Brandt Information Services and FISHBRAIN; Platinum: American Fly Fishing Trade Association and Discover Boating; Gold: American Sportfishing Association, Bass Pro Shops/White River Marine Group, Blast Analytics & Marketing, Granicus, J.F. Griffin Publishing and the U.S. Forest Service; Silver: Brunswick Freshwater Group, Colle + McVoy/Exponent PR and Southwick Associates; Bronze: Association of Marina Industries, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Convince & Convert, EurekaFacts, LLC, Info-Link, Kalkomey and Wildlife Management Institute; Donation: SourceLink.

Resources, including presentations, from the 2017 State Marketing Workshop are available in RBFF’s online Resource Center.