March 8, 2010: PWC Digest
Yamaha Mobile Sweepstakes boosts consumer sign-ups
According to an interview with Yamaha National Marketing Manager Bryan Seti in the recent edition of Mobile Marketer, Yamaha’s recent mobile services promotion brought 6,000 people onboard the program over a period of 10 weeks.
According to Seti, the mobile field is becoming increasingly important to the brand. He reveals Yamaha Watercraft eliminated traditional print and TV advertising altogether in 2009, relying only on Internet and mobile marketing to get the brand’s message to consumers. Still, Yamaha had the best-selling model in every one of its product lines — PWC, 21-foot boats, and 23-foot boats. Seti goes on to tell Mobile Marketer that the current boat show sweepstakes, which allows attendees to text in for a shot at prizes, has likely played a role in the company’s 2010 boat show sales, which are almost double that of a year ago. Regional SMS campaigns also are driving traffic to individual shows and dealers’ booths.
“Mobile allows you to instantly reach the consumer, targeted by area codes, with rich-media content on a device that is probably in their pocket or purse,” Seti tells Mobile Marketer. “There are no other marketing tools that can offer this combination.”
Sea-Doo wins Innovation Awards In Miami
More than 51 products made the cut for the National Marine Manufacturers’ Association Innovation Awards this year, and in the end the big winners included BRP Sea-Doo.
The brand captured two of the final total, with the Sea-Doo RXT-X 260 taking the PWC, Jet Boat and Pontoon category while the iCatch trailer captured the title in the Watersports and Equipment category.
The RXT-X took top honors based in large part on its digitally controlled fly-by-wire throttle control. “Even at 60 miles per hour, the control is so good that the RXT-X feels like a part of your body,” noted one of the judging panel. The iCatch, meanwhile, was highlighted for its innovative catch-and-release system that allows a driver to secure the boat by simply driving it onto the trailer, and release by pulling a nearby lever to allow the craft to roll off.
