It is the same process as building a big brick wall, one brick at a time.
If someone comes along and creates a machine that helps place several bricks in place (in this case the Delta commercial), then it's a great tool for the person(s) owning the wall to have them use it (the entire retail dive community). However, if the entire community (DEMA members) are paying for the equipment that made the machine but only the machine manufactures benefit from the use of the machine (Sunset House, PADI, Be A Diver etc.) then it can be considered a great application, but it misses in equality to all that have funded it's creation. I wish life were "fair".
What are we doing to attract new divers? The question is as convoluted as the answers. What works for some may not work for others. When it's mom and pop scuba shop owners that are struggling to stay open in this economy, there is usually no time or budget that assist with running an aggressive outside marketing promotion. They can only hope that the organizations they've signed up with offer assistance that will trickle down.
If it's a larger shop with a good marketing management team (in-house our an agency), they most likely maintain and do well, as well as can be expected during this economic downturn.
Bucket List Scuba . Com is a site we operate that is targeted to primarily non divers. Maybe it's a long shot, but at least it's a shot! We are sending out weekly emails to, get this, non divers! We attempt to give them fun connections of their everyday lives that encourage them to log onto our consumer site Bucket List Scuba to learn about diving and then find a shop to go and learn to dive. It's a project that's coming along nicely. Our list of consumers are growing. We are currently located on 30 corporate employee sites for the employees to "stumble" across us.
We operate as a membership site where we need to collect a yearly fee to have stores or travel destinations posted, we laughingly refer to ourselves as "non profit" at this point, but we have pulled enough money out of our own pockets to promote scuba for all because we believe in the sport. If only we were wealthy!
In addition, we have negotiated with marketing industry companies to offer people in the scuba industry discounts to our members so that marketing on your own (for the mom and pops) is affordable.
We have a booth at DEMA this year where we will be operating a prize promotion ($50,000 cash prize), temporary tattoos and a new snap tags used for marketing your web site and business for all new members (or you can just purchase a tag for you company). Our booth is an example for all members to do the same at home, for a farmers market, street fairs, other trade shows where there will be consumers, etc. Our goal is to make sure that at any budget, you can afford to draw new business into your store. We will even come out and help you.
We originally approached a DEMA with our ideas where helping smaller stores and attracting new divers could work. They needed our business plan to fully consider our proposal. DEMA stated they can not make the first contact with the consumer. Hmmm. Legal stuff gives me a headache, and besides, our plan has been growing and changing as our consumer (dive shops) needs have dictated.
Bottom line; we are pursuing finding new divers as a passion, running it like a membership, and operating on a very slim margin (like most businesses today). But what the heck, it's working. We've got many supporters that wish us well and have encouraged us, even on cloudy days.
Our goals are lofty. I will be attending many of the scuba shows (as an attendee next year just to say hello to all), will be an exhibitor at many consumer non diving trade shows gathering names (for our email marketing efforts) and working to get our web site name out to the non diving public in magazines and every other venue possible for 2010 and beyond.
Watch for us, come say hi and let's see if we can all put our heads together to co-op finding new divers and cultivating a new audience for this next year and beyond. If you've got an idea, we are small enough to consider it quickly and are willing to assist in any way we can.
DEMA has a lot to lose by not playing "fair", so my doubts are that they have not violated any member (legal) trust and with their decision in making this Delta Video. Maybe it's time to ask for different assistance from them for your dollars? They need to hear from the members, this is still America, you vote with your voices first, your feet second. They are all the industry has had for so long, but this thread and others like it are good, they need to hear from everyone.
Cross your fingers and hope we, as well as others with the same goal (finding new divers) are successful. Come say hello at DEMA show and contact us if there are any questions. Yes, I'm a Pollyanna, but again, what the heck! diver acquisitions . com or see us at the show. Debbie a.k.a. Shaweety
