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2015 marked the 10th year for the Discover Boating marketing campaign. When we set out as an industry to create the Grow Boating Initiative, which Discover Boating is part of, our mission was to promote the boating lifestyle, improve the boating experience and increase participation in recreational boating.

Today, as the industry and world around us continue evolving, we have evolved too. Each year, we find new ways to address our mission while the focus of Discover Boating remains the same: promote the boating lifestyle to increase participation in recreational boating.

As we head into 2016, here’s a look back at how we delivered against this mission in 2015 and the innovative work we employed:

• Discover Boating's North American marketing campaign exceeded benchmarks, sending more than 2.9 million visits to participating boat manufacturer websites, an increase of 66% over 2014. People are directed to manufacturer websites when they reach the point on our Discover Boating sites where they're ready to learn more about models, brands and where to find their closest retailer as they further explore boat ownership.
• We produced two new "Stories of Discovery," spotlighting real boaters experiencing priceless moments on the water. The Stories were featured on 10,000 websites and viewed 30 million times.
• We partnered with country music star and avid boater Jake Owen for a second season as his own star continues rising, helping our industry reach a coveted younger audience. With a fan base spanning millions on social media alone, Jake worked with Discover Boating on a national PR effort bringing attention to boating on Country Music Television, RollingStone.com and other national media outlets.  
• We put Discover Boating in the national media spotlight on Fox & Friends morning show, Men’s Health magazine and by hosting journalists on the water for hands-on boating experiences.  
• Discover Boating worked with more than 40 family, lifestyle and millennial bloggers throughout peak boating season to share their boating stories, helping us reach our target audience via these trusted bloggers.  
• Discover Boating is active on social media, engaging with hundreds of thousands of fans, enthusiasts and those new to boating on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. In June, Discover Boating was one of a select group of advertisers to take part in Instagram’s recently launched sponsored video program to its more than 300 million users worldwide.

From the advertising campaign to public relations to social media and our Stories of Discovery, Discover Boating created interest in boating among potential boat owners. As a result, the number of visits to DiscoverBoating.com and DiscoverBoating.ca increased 51% to 5.3 million in 2015, allowing us to deliver those 2.9 million visits to manufacturer websites.

As a successful 2015 comes to a close, stay tuned for more exciting initiatives on the horizon for Discover Boating in 2016!