Industry Leaders Join Forces to Accelerate Boating Market Expansion

In a pivotal move to confront declining new boat sales and unify the recreational marine industry around a shared growth strategy, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas (MRAA) have launched the Market Expansion Advisory Group.

Hand-picked for their deep marketing expertise across OEMs and dealerships and with an NMMA board liaison, the Advisory Group will answer two critical questions

1. How should we define success for Discover Boating?
2. How do we achieve that success?

The Advisory Group includes:

• Thomas Bates, Chief Revenue Officer, Correct Craft
• Lauren Beckstedt, Chief Marketing Officer, Brunswick
• Bryce Brown, Owner, MasterCraft Colorado
• Abbey Heimensen, Vice President Marketing, MarineMax
• Amber Holm, Chief Marketing Officer, Winnebago Industries, who also sits on the Board of Directors for the RVIA's GoRV'ing initiative
• Victor Gonzalez, Chief Marketing Officer, Sportsman Boats
• Rob Parmentier, Chief Executive Officer, Sailfish Boats and NMMA Board of Directors liaison
• Bryan Seti, General Manager, Yamaha Watercraft & National Sales & Marketing for G3 Boats

Here's an inside view on the important perspectives the Advisory Group is bringing to the conversation:

"This is bigger than a campaign; it's about how we work together to serve a changing consumer through shared resources that allow us to accomplish what no single entity can accomplish on its own. Like any good marketing effort, the group will ensure decisions are rooted in data and partnership and bring clear measures of success for Discover Boating that ignite industry action," Lauren Beckstedt, CMO, Brunswick.

"It's critical for any brand or category - in our case boating - to be known by those who don't know about it. This is where growth happens. Successful marketing that turns these people into boat buyers starts with connecting them to what boating stands for, how it makes them feel and how it fits into their life. The group will answer how Discover Boating can do this best, and how OEMs and dealers need to plug in to make it work for their business," Bryan Seti, GM, Yamaha Watercraft.

"Market growth is a team sport. Manufacturers, dealers, and associations each have a role, and we're prepared to take bold, coordinated steps forward," Abbey Heimensen, VP MarineMax.

"We need a solution to grow this industry because sales are not only declining, they're going away. People are choosing to rent, join a boat club or not even become a boater at all. Something has to change and our goal for this group is to ignite the spark we need to enact real change and get our industry on the right track to grow," Rob Parmentier, CEO, Sailfish Boats.

The group's recommendation on how the industry defines success for Discover Boating will land on both the NMMA and MRAA Boards' tables by the end of October with recommendations for answers to question #2 developed following the boards' feedback.

To inform this work, Discover Boating is commissioning first-of-its-kind, in-depth consumer research to pinpoint today's and tomorrow's boat buyers-their size, motivations, and barriers. The research will be completed by the end of September and shared with the industry in the fall. It's being guided by the Advisory Group and executed in partnership with renowned global research firm, Ipsos.

How Members Can Engage

1. Attend the Discover Boating Marketing Summit (Oct. 6 in Tampa, Fla.). Do you or does someone on your team handle marketing, PR or social media for your business? Whether a Chief Marketing Officer, dealership admin, or business owner, be a part of the conversation at IBEX on October 6, where we'll review top-line findings of our research, have robust discussion with leading marketing minds inside and outside the marine industry, and discuss next steps for Discover Boating. Stay tuned for a "save the date".
2. Attend Dealer Week (Dec. 7-10 in Tampa, Fla.) where you'll have the opportunity to not only further understand the research findings but also learn how to put them into action through relevant and timely marketing and sales strategies and tactics.

For more information or questions, contact Ellen Bradley, NMMA Chief Brand Officer, or Matt Gruhn, MRAA President.