Press Releases

50,000 Lapsed Boaters Return to the Water Through RBFF Marketing Program
2016 program continues to receive positive response rate and lift
Boat Registration Marketing Program letter

ALEXANDRIA, VA (January 12, 2017) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced its 2016 Boat Registration Marketing Program brought over 50,000 lapsed boaters back to the water. The program, now in its fifth year, generated a high response rate and lift.

“A stable and engaged base of boaters is essential to the future of our industry,” says RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson. “Fishing is the number one activity done from a boat, so the successes of this program have a lasting impact on our industry and leads to valuable conservation dollars for programs throughout the United States.”

The 2016 program delivered direct marketing pieces to nearly 460,000 households in 18 states with lapsed boat registrations, resulting in:

  • 51,376 registrations
  • 10.97% average response rate
  • 7.57% lift
  • $1.92 million in gross revenue, going directly to participating state agencies
  • Over $152,000 estimated in Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund dollars contributed via this program

As in years past, the direct marketing pieces encouraged owners of lapsed boats to re-register their vessels and included valuable resources, such as when and where to fish in their state.

To date, RBFF’s Boat Registration Marketing Program has reeled in a total of $8.02 million in revenue by bringing over 221,343 lapsed boaters back to the sport. The program is 100% funded by RBFF and requires only minimal staff time from state agencies to participate. A very positive sign, the 10.97% response rate of this year’s program is significantly greater than the national average 3.7%, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s 2015 Response Rate Report.

On top of its State Marketing Programs, RBFF refers consumers to state agency fishing license and boat registration webpages via website and social media referrals. In its last fiscal year, TakeMeFishing.org directed nearly 1 million individuals to state boat registration and fishing license pages, and to DiscoverBoating.com for additional boating resources. So far this fiscal year, referrals to boat registration pages are up nearly 25%.

Learn about the Boat Registration Marketing Program and how you can implement the program in your own state in the RBFF Resource Center.

About the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF)
RBFF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase participation in recreational angling and boating, thereby protecting and restoring the nation’s aquatic natural resources. RBFF developed the award-winning Take Me Fishing™ and Vamos A Pescar™ campaigns to create awareness around boating, fishing and conservation, and educate people about the benefits of participation. Take Me Fishing and Vamos A Pescar help boaters and anglers of all ages and experience levels learn, plan and equip for a day on the water. The campaign websites, TakeMeFishing.org, and VamosAPescar.org, feature how-to videos, information on how to get a fishing license and boat registration, and an interactive state-by-state map that allows visitors to find local boating and fishing spots

For further information: Stephanie Vatalaro, svatalaro@rbff.org, 703-778-5156

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