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

[Trace Malinowski]

Do we want the scuba community to become a click of highly competitive dare-devil narcissistic alpha males? Aren't these people often derided as fools on the forum?

Would the car industry sell more cars if only NASCAR wannabes were issued driver's licenses?

Richard.

Richard, society has been emasculating men for a long time and I think both men and women are sick of it. That is one reason why reality TV shows with men doing manly things are popular.

Driving on public streets is a way of life. Racing requires you to earn a racing license. It's going to cost me $3500 - $5000 to earn mine. They don't give them to wanna-be's. They have a program for $99 for the wanna-be driver. I'm going to be spending 10 hours a day for 5 to 7 days in class (mostly in the car) earning it. What do I want to do with it? Race vintage F-1. I decided to spend my rebreather/scooter money on something more exciting.

Diving isn't a way of life unless we finally build underwater cities. It is a sport (sport of vertigo according to author of the book and the professor who taught the Philosophy of Sport & Play class I took in college). I get more questions about diving from young men asking about spearfishing now than anything else. Probably due to the amount of reality hunting shows on TV. Spearing was the sport of diving. The sport took it away and made fun of men who want to be men and do manly things underwater and now we are asking ourselves what happened?

 

[Akimbo]

Well okay, if the diving was not taking place in one of the nastiest underwater environments on earth, then maybe...

It's not the location, it is the gross incompetence. NOBODY wants to be like them. Granted, part of that may be for ratings... but I have my doubts.

 

[RJP]

You need to fix diver retention. This means training them well enough initially that they can go out an dive locally and think "Wow, that was awesome" not "That really blew. What the hell was I thinking?" The first group will dive forever. The second will let their equipment age for a few years then out it up on eBay.

We don't need more divers, we need more active divers. This takes better, longer training, not faster and cheaper. It also takes work. I can tell you exactly who will continue to dive locally. It's the divers to were taught well enough to be happy and comfortable and safe, and have someone to take them out on smaller non-scary dives initially, and work up to bigger more demanding dives.

The once a year vacation divers are useless for any long term business because they stop diving after a few years. If you can't teach people to enjoy local diving, they will eventually stop.

You're making a faulty assumption. Why must there only be "one kind" of diver? The once a year vacation diver is actually a very profitable segment of divers. In fact, if marketed to properly, they could be huge because you could keep churning them through and as they fall out replace them with the next set of divers who fall out. Overall, retention of existing divers is actually marginally less profitable, per diver as each year goes by because they will buy less and less gear and engage in less and less training as their experience grows. Other than potentially "travel/dive charters" there isn't a market segment that benefits from retention anywhere near as much as they would benefit from driving churn of new divers.

I'm not advocating that as a strategy for "the industry" of course, but a mix of diver retention and diver attraction is most appropriate. This mix should probably skew about 75% new, 25% retention. (Note the best way for any business to retain customers is to attract the right customers in the first place, and not spend time/money/effort attracting people who are unlikely to continue... which is what the industry currently does.)

Also note that advocating for higher barrier to entry (longer, more rigorous/expensive training) will very effectively reduce the number of new divers. Not saying we should make training shorter, cheaper, and easier... just be careful what you ask for.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

How many people fanasized about going up to the Bearing Sea to fish for crab after seeing the show "Deadliest Catch"?
Did they actually go up there, of course not, but I'll bet they fantasized about it wondering if they could handle 40' seas and working non stop for 36 hours in freezing cold conditions.
But with scuba they COULD get into it if they wanted.
I'm not sure a reality show would be the way. I think something more along the lines of a crime drama.

One thing I did want to mention.
I've been talking to my buddy down in Pasadena and he says that freedive spearfishing is booming down in Southern California. It's the new surfing amongst the young people.
They're all in their late teens and 20's who are getting into it.
The focus is all on shooting fish (which is kind of a bummer for the dwindling fish populations in Socal), but the testosterone factor is there and they are impressing the young ladies too with home made fish tacos which they are cooking themselves (chicks love a guy who can cook).
They must be choosing freediving because the costs are a fraction of what it takes to get into scuba, plus they look like hero's and get the girls too.

 

[SeaHorse81]

It's not the location, it is the gross incompetence. NOBODY want to be like them. Granted, part of that may be for ratings... but I have my doubts.

Hmmm, did not see that one coming. Well, now you've gone and helped their ratings, because I have to go see for myself. :shocked2:

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Do you think a TV show about divers getting bent, injured, lost at sea, etc will do much to INCREASE the allure of diving?

Yes. Diving as portrayed on TV has always insulted the courage and intelligence of its audience. All diving drama is so fake that viewers see that. Coast Guard Alaska is popular for real drama. A diving show should just tell the truth whatever the topic. Let truth sell the sport. Let guys take risks without making fun of them. Be nice if male divers had balls again.

---------- Post added December 22nd, 2013 at 06:22 PM ----------

NetDoc and moderators, could we get a private scuba forum for "Male Divers with Healthy Egos" or "Men With Big Reef Balls" or something appropriate so we can discuss manly things without having to hear people whine about us killing fish, taking artifacts, breaking records, having underwater knife fights, whatever?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Yes. Diving as portrayed on TV has always insulted the courage and intelligence of its audience. All diving drama is so fake that viewers see that. Coast Guard Alaska is popular for real drama. A diving show should just tell the truth whatever the topic. Let truth sell the sport. Let guys take risks without making fun of them. Be nice if male divers had balls again.

---------- Post added December 22nd, 2013 at 06:22 PM ----------

NetDoc and moderators, could we get a private scuba forum for "Male Divers with Healthy Egos" so we can discuss manly things without having to hear people whine about us killing fish, taking artifacts, breaking records, having underwater knife fights, whatever?

Read the second half of post #44.
There's hope.

 

[Akimbo]

Hmmm, did not see that one coming. Well, now you've gone and helped their ratings, because I have to go see for myself. :shocked2:

Don't worry about taking notes! As a diver I find it sad and scary. Here is a thread on Scubaboard.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/scuba-diving-tv-movies/431584-bering-sea-gold-under-ice.html

Unfortunately, most of the work divers get paid to do isn't very glamorous. Offshore oilfield diving would be too expensive to video in addition to a general skepticism toward the media. Though noble and admirable, public safety diving is usually pretty nasty and has more to do with body recovery than the moments that make good ratings. Not much better for inland and harbor commercial diving.

A great show would be about the SEALs, except they would have to kill everyone that sees what they do!

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Read the second half of post #44.
There's hope.

Yes, I read that. I'm thrilled. Let's help start a movement.

---------- Post added December 22nd, 2013 at 06:36 PM ----------

Remember Skin Diver​ magazine? What happened to it? Oh, yeah, right ...

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I wonder if the OP is regretting opening up this hornet's nest? I see she has not been back for a couple days to post in this thread.

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