Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/306360
May 2014 | Boating Industry | 45 www.BoatingIndustry.com /// Market Trends /// majority of people in terms of the performance they're looking for." Instead, shedding weight and increasing fuel ef- fi ciency is the focus in coming years, as evidenced by Yamaha's newly introduced NanoXcel material that enabled the company to shave 60-70 pounds out of the hull of its VX series, an advancement that aids handling as well as fuel economy. Speaks said some of Yamaha's less glamorous innovations in the category have been its brand- new PWC leasing, the Certifi ed Pre-Owned pro- gram launched last spring, low-interest programs that have allowed customers to buy a WaveRun- ner for less than $100 a month and a guaranteed buy-back program that allows customers to re- turn their unit to the dealer after 36 months to walk away or trade-up to a new model. Finding face time Innovation is also coming in the form of creative marketing. Yamaha recently became the offi cial boat and PWC sponsor of the Monster Energy Supercross series, leveraging the company's reputation and brand recognition in front of a younger audience. "Communicating with consumers face to face is a type of marketing that you can't top," Speaks said. "Finding new venues where we can meet with people that have an interest in our prod- uct is a top priority for us, particularly if we can fi nd ways to do that and expose the product to people that may not even be aware that we were in the [PWC] business." With younger consumers used to replacing items like smartphones every two years or sooner, he added such a mentality could eventually be good for the PWC business if it "enables those buyers to experience our personal wa- tercraft in the same fashion that they experience their smartphones or laptops … those folks are grow- ing up, getting older and heading our way, and we'd like to move toward them and try to meet that wave a little quicker." Matching its youthful Spark with an equally spry marketing message, Sea-Doo partnered with music producer Joel Thomas Zim- merman, known to his electronic music audience as deadmau5 [dead mouse], to launch its #SparkSome- Fun Test Ride Tour that will visit 33 North American cities. The tour was kicked off with Sea-Doo has used partnerships with music producer deadmau5 and Vanilla Ice — both motorsports enthusiasts — to reach a younger audience. that wave a little quicker." with an equally spry marketing message, Sea-Doo partnered with music producer Joel Thomas Zim- merman, known to his electronic music audience as deadmau5 [dead P42x46-BI14MAY-MT-PWC.indd 45 4/17/14 11:00 AM