Press Releases
ALEXANDRIA, VA (November 25, 2008) – The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) new Take Me Fishing™ campaign message is resonating with boaters and anglers like never before, according to an annual tracking study released today. The study reveals more than half of target anglers (55 percent), identified as occasional or lapsed participants, are more likely to go fishing in the next year as a result of the advertising message – 40 percent are more likely to go fishing from a boat (both figures up significantly from 2007*). The Take Me Fishing advertising also appears to motivate fishing license sales (a new measure in 2008) with 51 percent of target anglers indicating the campaign would make them more likely to purchase a fishing license in the next year.
“This is great news because our goal for the new campaign is to inspire boaters and anglers to take action, and these results show that our new advertising can motivate them to do just that,” said RBFF President and CEO Frank Peterson. “With a more compelling message, the Take Me Fishing advertising has the potential to get more people fishing, boating and buying their fishing license, which helps us achieve our overall goal of increasing participation and generating critical funds for conservation.”
ADDITIONAL KEY FINDINGS:
- The 2008 campaign and communication efforts maintained overall awareness of the Take Me Fishing brand at 26 percent.
- Awareness of Take Me Fishing was slightly higher in the 30 states that participated in RBFF’s Direct Mail Marketing Program, where there was an increased communications focus.
- Half of target anglers (49 percent) found the advertising to be extremely memorable – up 20 percent from 2007.
- A majority (57 percent) indicated the advertising is extremely unique – up nearly 30 percent from 2007.
- Advertising likeability remains high with seven in 10 respondents (72 percent) indicating they liked the advertising.
- Two-thirds (62 percent) found the advertising to be very believable – a new measure in 2008.
- Two in five (41 percent) indicated they were very interested in the advertising – up 10 percent from 2007.
RBFF re-launched the Take Me Fishing campaign in 2008 with a goal of maintaining awareness, but creating a stronger call to action. The traditional media buy was extended from three to 12 months and included regional radio, more online and print advertising. Since the campaign launched in April, the all-new TakeMeFishing.org, which is featured on all advertising and communications materials, has seen an average monthly traffic increase of 114 percent.
The online study of more than 1,600 people was conducted by Russell Research. An Executive Summary is available online.
About RBFF
RBFF is a nonprofit organization established in 1998 to increase participation in recreational angling and boating. RBFF helps people discover, share and protect the legacy of boating and fishing through national outreach programs including the Take Me Fishing™ campaign and Anglers’ Legacy™.
*The “likelihood to fish” and “likelihood to fish from a boat” questions were rephrased in 2008 to allow for seasonality. In previous studies, respondents were asked if they would go fishing and fishing from a boat in the next six months, compared to 12 months in 2008.
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