As part of Sail America’s ongoing Industry Segment Focus Group initiative, Carl Blackwell of the NMMA and I jointly hosted an event with the “Sailing Media” category during Strictly Sail Chicago. This event proved to be a very dynamic roundtable discussion and addressed a variety of critical topics.

The goals for this informal listening session were to provide an opportunity for the sailing media to learn from one another; discuss opportunities and challenges facing the media segment; open the lines of communication between Sail America and the sailing media to understand how we can better serve this niche; and, finally, to address how collectively we can grow the sailing market.

This was a lively discussion involving nine members of the sailing media, and one that generated informative and provocative dialog. Most participants reported that advertising revenues took a hit during the recession, due largely to the state of the economy and the significant decline in boat builders’ ad budgets. The good news, however, is that some media brands reported an increase in revenues in 2010 and most are predicting ad spend will rise in 2011. More »

In today’s rapidly changing media landscape, marketers are struggling more than ever to keep abreast of the latest new types of media venues, coupled with all sorts of twists and turns in available technology. From learning new social media strategies to keeping pace with shifting consumer advertising behaviors and demands, the marketing world as we knew it has been rocked more the past two years than the last two decades combined. While all these profoundly new and exciting... More »

There's no longer a question of going with old vs. new media, but rather how they can be used together to improve ROI. Investment in digital marketing, search marketing and social media has moved from the "garage band days," if you will, to a significant line item in marketing budgets. More »