LEADING THE BOUNCE BACK from lockdown FOR BRITISH MARINE MEMBERS with the SUMMER ON THE WATER campaign

The brief

Bounce back from lockdown

British Marine has worked with The MTM Agency since 2016, selecting the agency to help with a number of projects including Southampton International Boat Show 2021. The organisation needed a way to bounce back from lockdown and raise the profile of the UK leisure marine industry and the Great British Staycation. The ‘Summer on the Water’ campaign was designed to do just that.

Understand

Boaters and water enthusiasts

British Marine is a member organisation. The Summer on the Water campaign aimed to inspire boaters and water enthusiasts throughout the UK to share their passions and encourage others to discover incredible on-water opportunities.

Create

Inviting national journalists to experience #SummerOnTheWater

Spearheaded by an inspirational film showcasing on-the-water activities, the MTM Agency supported with a planned campaign of social and editorial coverage to drive engagement and traffic to a dedicated campaign website promoting British Marine members’ products and services.

Looking to maximise audience reach through press coverage, in partnership with Honda Marine, The MTM Agency hosted The Daily Telegraph, Coast, The Sun, GQ, and Stuff magazines for a group press trip on behalf of British Marine.

Deliver

Putting the press to the test

Invited members of the press were tasked to undertake a two-day RYA Powerboat Level 2 course, and put their skills to the test on the Solent on the third and final day. The course was facilitated by Southampton-based RYA training centre, Urban Truant. Based on the River Hamble, the company has a fleet of incredible Highfield RIBs (rigid inflatable boats) powered by dual Honda outboard engines. All journalists quickly got to grips with the RIBs and passed their courses, and with their newly-found sea legs confidently took the helm of the Highfields under the watchful eye of the skipper.

The trip aimed to showcase how easy it is to undertake the right training and experience something completely new — whilst raising awareness of the marine leisure offering within the context of the ‘Great British Staycation’.

Driving in-depth coverage for British Marine

Our PR objective was to drive in-depth coverage for British Marine across key media titles, highlighting the campaign messaging and driving interest to the campaign landing page. All journalists received a Summer on the Water dry bag, which included a digital press kit, campaign video and bank of imagery. The first pieces of coverage to be published were from The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Social media coverage was posted in real-time throughout the trip using #SummerOnTheWater, which can be found on both Facebook and Instagram.