All across the United States, thousands of anglers gear up,
prepare boats and spend significant money to pursue their passion. The fire burns bright, igniting a drive to
pursue an elusive creature for a simple chance to reach a goal. The goal may be small, local or regional; the
goal may be large, semi-national or national.
Regardless, the result is the same.
Anglers will spend time and money to fish, especially to compete. In this quest, competing anglers travel
countless miles driving a vehicle, towing a boat. Gas is bought, food consumed, rooms rented,
tackle purchased and entries paid. Many
outside the angling community view this as the circumference of the fishing
industry, but this view falls short of reality.
These
same consumers (anglers) also own homes, small business; they support families,
have friends and build social networks within their communities and
beyond. Many are very visible in the public
domain. They visit with strangers at gas
stations, stores, restaurants and more.
They are often approached, queried about their rigs, the fishing, and
especially logo’s if displayed. Many
will influence purchases and even attract others to specific brands. Regardless, they make their presence known
wherever they visit. This angler, the
competing one, is a perfect fit to represent a brand.
It’s
obvious what a sponsor offers an angler, financial support. This can be anything from paid entry fees or
expenses to equipment. But what does the
angler offer a sponsor? In its simplest
form; exposure, brand awareness, advertising.
This isn’t limited to companies in the fishing industry though. Any company (brand) can benefit from the
competing angler.
So how
does it work? The most common form is a
vehicle and/or boat wrap coupled with additional media such as clothing and logos
(graphics) for social media, web sites, business cards and more. Sound expensive? Not really. The competing angler can offer significant
exposure for a fraction of a medium advertising budget. Advertising is expensive, newspapers and
magazines charge hefty fees, billboards are costly and television is, well,
almost cost prohibitive. All of these
offer static brand exposure. The biggest
benefit of a wrap; however, is in the fluid nature of travel. A billboard that migrates through cities,
across states and visits demographics that may not normally see the media has
tremendous benefit. So how is this
different than wrapping corporate cars and trucks? The boat!
If you have ever travelled with a fully rigged tournament bass boat you
know the boat elicits looks, people strain to see it. They walk to it, look at it and ask questions
about it. Now imagine the boat is fully
wrapped. So is that the full extent? Absolutely not, the best part is the angler
has a vested interest and offers something a static ad cannot, a voice. Every question is an opportunity to explain
the brand, product or service. The value
goes beyond traditional advertising.
So is
that it? Is it simply advertising and
money making a partnership? Of course it’s
not. There are many additional considerations
in play. Not only are added requirements
possible, such as event attendance and representation, but serious attention
must be paid to the match. Not every
angler is a match for every company.
Careful attention is required to ensure an angler’s values match the company’s
values. A rude, inattentive angler can
sabotage just as effectively.
In
summary, what is the value of a sponsored angler? It’s large market exposure on a relatively
small budget. Whether you are in marketing
or an angler looking to add a sponsor to your resume, consider a partnership on
the advertising highway.
