Discover Boating Makes ‘Good Run’ Toward Viral Marketing Efforts

Chicago, IL - As part of its marketing strategy in 2007, Discover Boating will expand its consumer reach by incorporating viral elements into its integrated mix of marketing, PR, promotional and advertising programs—via online distribution of the short film entitled Good Run. The film will be posted to a variety of popular websites and shared with millions of potential boaters around the world this spring through a targeted e-mail distribution campaign.

Beginning March 3, Good Run was placed on several media distribution portals, including YouTube, Yahoo, MSN and Google Video, as well as DiscoverBoating.com, GrowBoating.org and the NMMA 23 consumer boat show websites. Over the course of the next few months, millions of e-mails will also be sent out with links to the film online, in the hopes that one consumer sees the message and then passes it along to his or her friends and family, and so on. All industry stakeholders are likewise being encouraged to include a link to Good Run on their respective company websites. It is available for live streaming from DiscoverBoating.com.

“We want as many potential boaters as possible to see this film, and we’re committed to making this happen via one of the most powerful communication tools available to us—the internet,” says Carl Blackwell. “In today’s world, where people have access to high speed internet connections more so now than ever before, we anticipate this high impact, low cost tactic will continue playing a significant role in future Discover Boating marketing plans.”

Underwritten by a generous contribution from General Motors, Good Run is a four-minute film highlighting the life of a boater as he reflects on his many fond memories aboard a boat. The film’s concept was derived from consumers’ love of cinema and emphasizes celebration of the boating lifestyle. Good Run’s subject is an elderly man reliving many of his happiest memories by watching old home movies on 8mm film—all of which take place aboard a boat. Fishing with his father, sailing on a U.S. Navy ship in WWII, cruising on his wedding day, spending time with his kids and grandkids—these are just some of the scenarios he replays on film and relives in Good Run. The film is set to a stirring musical track performed by English folksinger Kate Rusby entitled “Sleepless Sailor.”

Good Run was shown for the first time to a large group of industry stakeholders during the most recent Grow Boating Annual Meeting, hosted prior to start of the 2007 Miami International Boat Show in February. The film was directed by Hollywood cinematographer Wally Pfister, who has filmed more than 25 movies throughout his career and is probably best known for his work on the major motion pictures Insomnia, The Italian Job, Batman Begins and The Prestige. He earned back-to-back Academy Award nominations in Cinematography for both Batman Begins and The Prestige (2005 and 2006) and a nomination in the Short Film category for his film Sen-Zen-Ni-Na in 1991. Pfister was also an Independent Spirit Award nominee for the critically-acclaimed 2000 thriller Memento.

For more information on the Discover Boating marketing campaign, visit GrowBoating.org or contact Carl Blackwell at (312) 946-6277; cblackwell@nmma.org.   25