Press Releases

ALEXANDRIA, VA (January 25, 2017) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced awareness of its Take Me Fishing brand is at an all-time high. Brand awareness among RBFF’s Family Outdoors target market reached 88% (a 37% increase), while overall brand awareness increased from 41% to 64%, marking record highs in each category. The annual campaign evaluation also showed increases in intent to go fishing or boating, brand influence and other categories.

“As an organization, our primary focus is on drawing new participants to fishing and boating,” says RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson. “In today’s environment, a strong brand is critical to successfully engaging your audience, and this study proves we are well on our way to introducing people to the joys of fishing and boating with the Take Me Fishing brand, therefore ensuring funding for conservation programs across the U.S.”

The 2016 Take Me Fishing campaign evaluation shows:

• An individual’s intent to fish increased 10%.
  • 92% reported being somewhat likely or very likely to fish in the next 24 months.
• Intent to fish from a boat reached 86%.
  • A 15% increase from 2015.
• Participants reported an intended increase in frequency of fishing in 2017.
• Fewer individuals reported being less likely to fish in the coming year.
• #FirstCatch is resonating well on social media.
  • Nearly half of social media users surveyed reported seeing the hashtag, an increase of 19% over 2015.
  • Recall of seeing a photo with #FirstCatch was highest among the Family Outdoors segment.
• All Take Me Fishing advertisements showed positive impact scores, with TV ads having the highest influence (88%) and relevance (87%) scores.

Results are based on a survey of 1,200 adults, including RBFF’s Family Outdoors target market. This audience is comprised of over 18 million households and over 47 million men, women and children ages 6-17 who are already engaged in outdoor activity and are open to trying new things, including fishing and boating. The Family Outdoors market presents a great multicultural opportunity as well, with 15% (or 7.1 million individuals) being of Hispanic descent.

For details on the survey, please download the full Take Me Fishing Campaign Evaluation report 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