COLLETT CONTROVERSIAL
What’s happened to marketing?
Angler, shooter, industry stalwart and general controversialist, Steve Collett, questions the ability of brands to market fi shing tackle. Are they doing the UK’s dealer network justice?
I
t’s not easy out there at the moment, I really wish I could tell you differently. Instead of us all looking at buying islands in the Bahamas, most of us would be lucky to buy a night in a B&B in Bilston at the moment. It’s no secret that our field sports are on the decline, well the numbers of people participating are, but there are other factors as well that are doing us no good. I’m going to talk about marketing, or the apparent lack of in the trade. What’s happened to marketing? A plan, a route to the consumer from the manufacturer?
When was the last time a bloke came into your shop and asked for a product he had seen marketed? As agents or representatives, when was the last time a shopkeeper ran over glass barefoot to get a product from you? When was the last time you had to stock that “must have” product? It was a long time ago,
1 Steve Collett 1 56 | Tackle & Guns | August 2018
that’s for sure. When a new product is launched now, most shopkeepers look on the Internet to see how cheap one of the big boys is selling it for. “Ah yeah the new 13ft multi carbon twin tip super light cast to the moon feeder rod,”
tap tap tap… Angling Direct
are selling it for thrupence with a bag thrown in and a holiday salmon fishing in the Yemen! I could sell it too, and make, errrr tap tap tap, eight pence! “No thanks, I’ll not commit Mr Salesman.” It happens every week. The consumer saw some amateurish video of some bloke catching on the latest new fandango thing. In fact the opposite is happening, he is not coming in because he saw that video! You see, in my experience, men do not like other men. They do not like being told by other men that they are inferior and should buy this because so and so said so and it will catch you more fish, it just doesn’t happen. Men like to pretend they have worked it out for themselves. They don’t want to be told how and when to buy products by some over-emblazoned bloke who is an electrician by trade and a diva in front of the camera. I know because I have done it. I have been the Gamekeeper and the Poacher. I’ve done “promo” videos for companies, and I have employed people to do them, did they work? I can’t be sure. I would like to think they had a little impact, only
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