Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/536070
PWC Marketing director Julie Tourville provides insight on Sea-Doo products BRP's Sea-Doo brand recently launched a mar- keting campaign to showcase the world of PWC riding to a wide array of "new-to-sport" consumers who are predisposed to the water- sports lifestyle. A key component on extending the Sea-Doo Spark launch effort in growing the industry, the Ultimate Sea-Doo Beach Party Sweepstakes encouraged people to show Sea-Doo how they #SPARKSOMEFUN. It's part of Sea-Doo's con- tinued effort to grow the marine industry with innovative and engaging marketing. Sea-Doo once again united with Devin Super Tramp, Sea-Doo X-Team riders and NIKE wakeskate athletes in a new video to feature the ease and fun of owning a Sea- Doo watercraft. Check out the video at http://bit.ly/1d6g2Tp. This new video is an extension of an inte- grated campaign that incorporates experien- tial and digital marketing with the innovative #SPARKSOMEFUN marketing campaign. The 2014 Sea-Doo Spark marketing campaign garnered awards like the AAF 4th District ADDY, the Neptune Award and was a finalist for the Effie Awards, all of which recognize marketing excellence. "Last year, the Sea-Doo watercraft video created with Devin Super Tramp generated over 1.3 million views. Devin reinvented action videography for a new generation. Simi- larly, BRP has re-sparked the watercraft indus- try by bringing new people into the sport with the Sea-Doo Spark," said Julie Tourville, global marketing director for Sea-Doo. "This new video showcases how easily anyone can spark some fun with their own Sea-Doo watercraft and become part of the Sea-Doo family." Powersports Business editor in chief Dave McMahon checked in with Tourville to learn more about Year 2 of Spark. PSB: You're entering Summer No. 2 with Spark. How would you assess the results of the product's first summer from a marketing and sales standpoint? JT: The initial launch of the Sea-Doo Spark has been a success. The Sea-Doo Spark was intro- duced to re-spark the watercraft industry, and it is doing that. Our dealer network is telling us that a new generation of customers is coming to their stores that they haven't seen in a while mainly because they've heard or seen a Sea-Doo Spark promotion. With a base price of $4,999 (USD), new- comers to the sport are now seeing that they can make their dreams of owning a Sea-Doo watercraft a reality. And many acted on that during the first season in rapid fashion with inventories emptying faster than we would have expected. PSB: How much did Spark sales contribute to Sea-Doo market share in the U.S.? JT: Sea-Doo market share increased by the end of the season, and the Spark watercraft certainly contributed to the volume and added a renewed vigor towards the brand. PSB: Were dealers by and large sold out of Sparks by the end of the summer? What type of feedback did you from dealers about selling the Spark? JT: The Sea-Doo Spark is the right product for many "new to the sport" but we also found it fulfilled a need and desire of many enthusiasts looking for lightweight, nimble, affordable and simple fun. The product itself and the strong promotional efforts behind the launch created strong early season demand that spread into the summer and drove a lot of consumers who had not been to a powersports dealer in a long time, or from consumers who had never set foot into stores. That enthusiasm for the Spark created a low inventory situation by July in most areas, but it also provided dealers with the opportunity to promote the 2014 Sea-Doo complete lineup. For 2015, we are ensuring that dealers have sufficient inventory to fulfill all the demand they will face this year. PSB: How easy was it for dealers to add accessory sales to the Spark buyer? JT: The accessories or second retail level is crucial to the overall business success of Spark watercraft. The Sea-Doo Spark was created so that every owner can make it their own with an array of options and accessories. The options of iBR or no iBR, 2up or 3up, graphics kits, stor- age systems, power options, all of these options allow the consumer to really make the Spark their own and provide the dealer with addi- tional profit opportunities. PSB: Did the Sea-Doo Spark buyer overall fit the demographic that you had anticipated? Are they mostly first-time PWC buyers? JT: The first year was interesting in that so many long-time enthusiasts bought Spark watercraft simply because they were fun and affordable as an "add-to-fleet" unit. They have been waiting for something like the Sea-Doo Spark, so they jumped on it. Once we reached the real boating season is when we saw our true target consumers — the young professionals with young kids — coming into stores after see- ing the TV ads, seeing it on social media, or test driving them at a #SPARKSOMEFUN event. PSB: What type of reaction do you hope the sweepstakes will bring to current or future Sea-Doo enthusiasts? JT: This is the second year of Sea-Doo Spark, and it is arguably more crucial than the first year as there are still a lot of those dreaming of owning a watercraft that have not yet heard about the Spark model or how accessible it truly is. We are still launching Spark to the masses, and we aren't letting the throttle off now. We have to keep reaching the "new-to- sport" as that is our true potential to grow the industry, and we have to do it through non- traditional methods, yet targeted efforts. Last year, our influencer program proved to be effective reaching new audiences, specifically partnering with mega popular YouTube film- maker Devin Super Tramp, as did our social media driven efforts where our users helped drive our content. This year, we ran a campaign with Devin with the idea of allowing people to show us how they spark some fun to win an "Ultimate Sea-Doo Beach Party" that generated over 32,000 unique visitors to the sweepstakes. Then we produced the Ultimate Sea-Doo Beach Party with the winner, and Devin Super Tramp filmed it, so it lives well beyond the five weeks of the contest-focused campaign. PSB: Could the sweepstakes potentially reach boating-friendly consumers who might be on the water via boat, pontoon, kayak, etc., but have never considered a PWC until now? JT: The #SPARKSOMEFUN sweepstakes is really targeted to any person who loves having fun in the outdoors, specifically around the water. It could be a boater, a diver, anybody who dreams of simple, accessible, pure fun on the water. PSB: What else can we expect to see related to Spark this summer? JT: In addition to the Ultimate Sea-Doo Beach Party campaign, we will again have a strong presence on TV and digital with a mix of Sea- Doo Spark specific advertising and full-line spots. Spark is the driver to new owners while continuing to build our core line business, specifically in the performance and luxury segments. PSB Sea-Doo Spark expecting more growth in 2015 46 • July 13, 2015 • Powersports Business www.PowersportsBusiness.com Sales of the 2015 Spark figure to get a boost due to inventories that quickly disappeared at dealerships last summer. Sea-Doo X-Team riders and NIKE wakeskate athletes star in the latest Sea-Doo video. YouTube star Devin Super Tramp (right) had the task of making another million-view video for the #SPARKSOMEFUN Ultimate Sea-Doo Beach Party Sweepstakes winner.