Marketing: Are we ok, or do we need help?

[Eric Sedletzky]

The dive shops pay a membership fee.

In exchange they get a window sticker.

Who's the window sticker for?

Some get awards they can display in the store.

If me (Joe Diver) doesn't even know what DEMA stands for this means nothing to me.

DEMA supposedly markets SCUBA to consumers, but if they do, they're completely ineffective.

Like I said, I've never seen anything even remotely close to advertising from anybody named DEMA.

As near as I can tell, they're like AAA in the age of the internet. People used to sign up for AAA to get maps and triptychs. Now they use Google and GPSs. Dive shops used to go to the DEMA show to see what's new in SCUBA. Now they can just hang out and wait for the info to show up in email, direct from the manufacturer/vendor.

AFAIK, DEMA is pretty much completely useless. If I were a dive shop, I'd save my money.

If I never see anything about DEMA, and all my friends have never even heard of DEMA then I do believe they are pretty much completely irrelevant.
Now if I saw an ad on TV about diving then noticed something to the effect of "This ad brought to you by DEMA" then I would say they are doing their part.
I'm starting to think they are nothing more than a parasite, a tick, on the dive industry.

 

[redacted]

Who's the window sticker for?


If me (Joe Diver) doesn't even know what DEMA stands for this means nothing to me.



Like I said, I've never seen anything even remotely close to advertising from anybody named DEMA.


If I never see anything about DEMA, and all my friends have never even heard of DEMA then I do believe they are pretty much completely irrelevant.
Now if I saw an ad on TV about diving then noticed something to the effect of "This ad brought to you by DEMA" then I would say they are doing their part.
I'm starting to think they are nothing more than a parasite, a tick, on the dive industry.

Diver are not the customers of DEMA members. Dive shop are their customers.

 

[flots am]

If I never see anything about DEMA, and all my friends have never even heard of DEMA then I do believe they are pretty much completely irrelevant.
Now if I saw an ad on TV about diving then noticed something to the effect of "This ad brought to you by DEMA" then I would say they are doing their part.
I'm starting to think they are nothing more than a parasite, a tick, on the dive industry.

They ran a "Be a diver" ad campaign for a while, but AFAIK, nobody ever saw it and it never accomplished anytrhing except giving them something they could claim as a member benefit. If dive shops want to send them money, that's fine with me, but I certainly think it's stupid to do so.

The shops would get more benefit by taking the $500 or whatever and hiring someone to stand in front of the store shaking a sign that said "Try SCUBA for free! Come on in!"

I think some agencies are members too, but it beats the hell out of me why they would want to.

flots.

 

[The Chairman]

I don't have a very high opinion of DEMA, their projects or their results. It's my opinion that too, too many shops rely on them to market the Scuba Industry and they have failed. PADI has done the lion's share of this and we are probably a distant second to them. The costs to market Scuba are prohibitive for most of us to even image. RJP is probably the only one of us capable of comprehending what should be doe, how it should be done and what finances we need to accomplish that. I don't have a lot of money, but I do have critical mass in terms of divers and even shops. We need to figure out how to hire RJP, even if only part time, and see where that takes us.

To be blunt: it's my humble opinion that DEMA's most important task is to make sure that they all get to keep their jobs. It's certainly not about growing the industry.

 

[Wookie]

I don't have a very high opinion of DEMA, their projects or their results. It's my opinion that too, too many shops rely on them to market the Scuba Industry and they have failed. PADI has done the lion's share of this and we are probably a distant second to them. The costs to market Scuba are prohibitive for most of us to even image. RJP is probably the only one of us capable of comprehending what should be doe, how it should be done and what finances we need to accomplish that. I don't have a lot of money, but I do have critical mass in terms of divers and even shops. We need to figure out how to hire RJP, even if only part time, and see where that takes us.

To be blunt: it's my humble opinion that DEMA's most important task is to make sure that they all get to keep their jobs. It's certainly not about growing the industry.

DEMA is the easiest thing in the world to replace. Give me a viable industry world-wide trade show that gets attendance somewhere besides Orlando and Vegas, and I will drop DEMA like a hot potato. I am ONLY a member because of the DEMA Show. No DEMA Show, no wookie.

 

[drrich2]

I don't have a very high opinion of DEMA, their projects or their results. It's my opinion that too, too many shops rely on them to market the Scuba Industry and they have failed. PADI has done the lion's share of this and we are probably a distant second to them.

Interesting angle on this. Sometimes an 'industry' decides to push a product class 'Beef, it's what's for dinner' (and I can hardly believe 'Pork; the other white meat') and hope that a rising tide lifts all boats. I assume what you guys are looking for from DEMA would be along these lines.

On the other hand, when I think of well-known, successful brands, they push their stuff. Coke-a-Cola didn't hire Paula Abdul and Elton John many years ago to tell me that diet soda goes down easy; it was Diet Coke that was 'just for the taste of it.' And it's not just oats that's 'the right thing to do,' but Quaker oats.

So, while 'all of the above' is a popular answer in a perfect world, what do you think is the great hope of scuba advertising of these options:

1.) Broad marketing of scuba in general; Scuba, 'just do it.'

2.) Aggressive self-promotional marketing by individual businesses. This could be at the LDS level, or at the big online retailer level like Leisure Pro, Scuba Toys, Divers Direct, etc...

Ironically, aggressive self-promotion can back-fire a bit. Scuba Pro is a 'big name,' and so is AquaLung. But how often on the forum would someone asking about them get a recommendation to buy Edge/HOG. Wonder who has the biggest advertising budgets?

Richard.

 

[RJP]

So, while 'all of the above' is a popular answer in a perfect world, what do you think is the great hope of scuba advertising of these options:

1.) Broad marketing of scuba in general; Scuba, 'just do it.'

2.) Aggressive self-promotional marketing by individual businesses. This could be at the LDS level, or at the big online retailer level like Leisure Pro, Scuba Toys, Divers Direct, etc...

Not enough information provided to allow me to say "none of the above" with the confidence with which I would like.

For your first choice:
- What do you mean by "Broad Marketing"?
- Who's going to do it?
- What's the budget?

For your second choice:
- What do you mean by "Aggressive self-promotion"?
- Why would you lump LDS's in with on-line retailers?
- Did you intend to limit this category to retailers of gear and training?

 

[mjrob]

I'd like to read some responses to the above questions. I have answers for them--probably not a great shock--but I'd be very interested in what some others think. Anyone?

 

[drrich2]

For your first choice:
- What do you mean by "Broad Marketing"?
- Who's going to do it?
- What's the budget?

By broad marketing, I was talking about pushing scuba diving itself, for example. The main 'who' I see posted about (mainly frustration at the perception they're not doing it) is DEMA. Or some other industry group acting like a 'Chamber of Commerce' and promoting common interests.

For your second choice:
- What do you mean by "Aggressive self-promotion"?
- Why would you lump LDS's in with on-line retailers?
- Did you intend to limit this category to retailers of gear and training?

By aggressive self-promotion, I'm referring to individual businesses marketing themselves and what they sell ala 'Papa Johns; Better Ingredients, Better Pizza.' I lumped LDS's in with online retailers because both are examples of private businesses, even though their product may differ (e.g.: Leisure Pro may not do a lot of OW courses) and their target demographic also (e.g.: a LDS will aim for local customers).

Is the scuba 'industry' (or whatever term) going to grow due mainly to the self-focused efforts of private businesses, or more from some larger scale group promoting diving as a whole?

A larger group, serving (in theory) a number of businesses/interests, would need to define its scope. Perhaps in addition to recreational and technical divers and educators, it would be worthwhile to involve the public safety diver community (in part for promo.s, telling stories of brave safety divers recovering bodies & such in adverse conditions to give a positive public service image and up the prestige of diving).

If that last point seems a little far-fetched, I came by it from posts on the forum about people being inspired watching old Sea Hunt episodes, or Jacques Cousteau. The idea is to show somebody 'cool' diving, to improve the image of diving. Put a human face on it. Maybe 'How It's Made' or a dangerous job show could be persuaded to do a show on deep sea commercial diving or some such.

Richard.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Is the scuba 'industry' (or whatever term) going to grow due mainly to the self-focused efforts of private businesses, or more from some larger scale group promoting diving as a whole?

There is no larger scale group that's going to promote diving. Why would they? What are they going to get out of it?
And who would they be.
We just discussed DEMA and came to the conclusion that they are worthless as a marketing tool to get the word out to the general public (as a public service anouncement).
Any form of marketing will be done by individual dive shops that are looking to bring more customers in via radio ads, newspaper ads, window banners with specials advertised, sales promotions with OW sign-ups, etc.
I think this is about as good as it's going to get.
It's every man for himself, or every shop and or operator for themselves and the contact will be to the general public in some form, not some trade show that only industry people attend.
If the internet plays some part in that then fine, but to me if I am driving by a store and see a banner plastered up outside that says "Huge scuba gear sale" I'm going to be inclined to go in there to see what they have.
Or if I was a guy that always wanted to try scuba but never gave it much thought beyond that and drove by the store and saw a banner saying "Try scuba now in our pool for free and recieve a money saving coupon for your certification class!" That would make me go in there and want to know more.