December NewsWaves 2018
Table of Contents
Happy Holidays! Here’s to 20 more years of R3
With the holiday season upon us, we’d like to take some time to reflect on our twentieth year of recruiting, retaining and reactivating (R3) anglers and boaters.
Thanks for making our first 20 years as memorable as they have been successful.
Here’s a few highlights from our 20th year:
- After receiving a refresh earlier this year, the Take Me Fishing Places to Fish & Boat Map, now powered by Fishbrain was the most-used resource by consumers.
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service fishing license data and RBFF and the Outdoor Foundation’s Special Report on Fishing both show significant increases in participation.
- Boating participation reaches 142 million, or 36% of the U.S. population, with fishing remaining the number one activity done while boating.
- Our award-winning Women Making Waves video and campaign are launched, reeling in media attention and empowering anglers across the country.
- RBFF partners with the National Conservation Training Center, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports and the Wildlife Management Institute on the first-ever national R3 training.
We look forward to continued progress toward our 60 in 60 goal, and a brighter future for fishing and boating.
States Making Waves: A Recap of the 2018 RBFF State Marketing Workshop
In early December, a record 163 total attendees representing 48 state fish & wildlife agencies, industry partners, sponsors and RBFF staff convened in Atlanta, Georgia for RBFF’s 2018 State Marketing Workshop R3: Making Waves Towards 60 in 60.
We are proud of the content offered at the 2018 State Marketing Workshop, with many attendees relaying this was the best Workshop yet. As our Workshop continues to grow, we are happy to have more and more of the top decision makers and influencers attending. In fact, this year saw the largest number of state agency directors and assistant directors in attendance. One such director, Mark Tisa of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MDFW) remarked:
As a state director, I found the 2018 RBFF Workshop to be a valuable use of my time and a great opportunity to network with other states and the industry. The workshop helped advance my understanding of the challenges and more importantly, the opportunities we have to promote “outdoor experiences” through boating and recreational fishing. I was most excited and encouraged by the wide-spread participation and enthusiasm from the industry, retail, and other groups at the workshop, their willingness to work with the states, and the recognition that we all share a common goal – increase participation in recreational fishing and boating!
Attendees learned about diversity and inclusion from Axie Navas of Outside Magazine, research and insights from sponsors and industry thought leaders and heard examples of strong R3 work being done by their state agency peers.
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife (MDFW) is one such state doing a particularly stellar job, using marketing and R3 practices to drive customer engagement. At the Workshop, Mark Tisa, MDFW Director, and Nicole McSweeney, MDFW Outreach and Marketing Coordinator shared insights from their latest successful marketing campaign. Using lessons learned from their 2017 campaign and best practices from RBFF, the MDFW was able to drive revenue by utilizing license data to define and reach target audiences. Stay tuned for more insights on this campaign and tips on how you can replicate this effort in your state coming in early 2019.
Resources are now available from the 2018 State Marketing Workshop. View and share presentations today.