CONSERVATION
OCEAN KAYAK PRO, ROB CHOI LURES
TOURISTS TO VIRGINIA. PHOTO: COURTESY BCF
CATCHY SLOGAN HERE T
urn on the television or flip through a magazine and you’re likely to see kayak fishing featured in advertising. Sure, it’s exciting to
see our favorite pastime get some press time, but will nationwide ad campaigns mean more anglers and fewer fish in your favorite fishing hole? Kayak fishing hit the mainstream last summer when Ocean Kayak
pro angler, Rob Choi, was featured in an advertising campaign for Virginia tourism. In addition to a full page ad in several nationwide publications, Choi filmed a 30-second television spot that featured him catching a giant striped bass in his kayak. “At first I didn’t want to do it,” Choi says, “but I thought it was cool that they wanted a real kayak angler to represent Virginia kayak fishing.” Virginia Beach-based ad firm BCF chose Choi for the Virginia
is for Lovers campaign after seeing his blog and videos online. PR director Dominga Gardner explains, “Kayak fishing is inspiring, it’s super unique; something travelers to Virginia could aspire to, and it’s real, something that really happens all the time. It isn’t just a pretty sunset.” To get the attention of potential visitors, the marketing team was
looking for an image that would make VA pop. “With travel ads, you want to stand out,” says Gardner. “Pulling a
huge fish from a kayak was the best way to do that. We tried to create a desire, a draw to kayak fishing; to make people say, ‘Wow, I want to do that!’” Kayak fishing has also found its way into Key West, Florida’s
advertising campaign. And states including Nebraska, New York and Arkansas are aggressively pursuing kayak anglers in their marketing plans. States are looking for untapped streams of tourists and kayak fishing is virgin waters. Kathy McKillip, executive director of tourism for Nebraska, says her state’s fishing opportunities especially appeal to kayak anglers. “Nebraska has nearly 23,000 miles of rivers so there are lots of opportunities for kayakers to fish scenic, uncrowded lakes and streams.”
72 KAYAK FISHING || Annual 2015
NATIONAL TOURISM ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS ARE CASHING IN ON KAYAK FISHING While local anglers may not appreciate an influx of tourists to
their favorite fishing hole, the appearance of kayak fishing in major advertising campaigns further supports the sport’s widening appeal. “The exposure helps spread the word that kayak fishing is awesome,”
Choi says. Major advertising campaigns that feature kayak fishing put the sport in front of old salts and land-lubbers alike. “It also focuses attention on causes that kayak fishermen support,
such as water access, watershed conservation and Heroes on the Water,” adds Choi. Not only will anglers ultimately benefit with heightened exposure,
but the people who support kayak fishing will also see a boom: “From tackle businesses to paddle shops to local guides, it’s a win-win for everyone,” Choi says. —Ben Duchesney
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to watch Rob Choi’s “Virginia is for Lovers” ad.
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