Hello all. Ok. This is something that confuses me. In so many magazines like Sports Illustrated, ESPN magazine, and others that have advertisements for hobbies/sports, and diving is never one of them. You'll always see advertisements for new basketball or baseball equipment (and so on), but never ANYTHING relating to SCUBA. Diving ads only appear in DIVING magazines. The diving community of the world, it seems, grows only through word of mouth or by friends telling friends. What do you think should be done to further the growth and popularity of the sport? -Jeff
SCUBA Marketing...
- Thread starter jefri416
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WJL
Contributor
Jefri,
You're butting up against the basic laws of advertising. The reason you don't see scuba ads in Sport Illustrated and on TV is the same reason you don't see ads in those places for paintball or windsurfing. It's too expensive.
An ad in SI costs an enormous pile of money. Before you plop down that money you have to do a little calculation - how many people who will see this ad have any interest in buying my product? Then you divide the cost of the ad by the number of propective customers to come up with a cost per message delivered. Then you compare that to the cost of advertising some other way. Like in a magazine that is devoted only to the people you want to reach. So you could spend, say $10,000 for an ad in SI, only a few of whose readers are divers, or you could spend say $1,000 for the same ad in Rodales, all of whose readers are divers. Everybody does the math the same way, and concludes that they are better off advertising in magazines devoted to diving.
Now if you know of some philathropist who wants to promote scuba diving, then you may be on to something.
You're butting up against the basic laws of advertising. The reason you don't see scuba ads in Sport Illustrated and on TV is the same reason you don't see ads in those places for paintball or windsurfing. It's too expensive.
An ad in SI costs an enormous pile of money. Before you plop down that money you have to do a little calculation - how many people who will see this ad have any interest in buying my product? Then you divide the cost of the ad by the number of propective customers to come up with a cost per message delivered. Then you compare that to the cost of advertising some other way. Like in a magazine that is devoted only to the people you want to reach. So you could spend, say $10,000 for an ad in SI, only a few of whose readers are divers, or you could spend say $1,000 for the same ad in Rodales, all of whose readers are divers. Everybody does the math the same way, and concludes that they are better off advertising in magazines devoted to diving.
Now if you know of some philathropist who wants to promote scuba diving, then you may be on to something.
as much as I talk up scuba and try to get people interested it might surprize you that I don't think scuba is for everyone. I don't think it has any place in "mainstream" advertizing. Do you really want to share your ocean/lake/quarry/muddy puddle with everyone else? scuba by nature isn't suited for mass consumtion like other sports are.
just my 2 1/2 cents
just my 2 1/2 cents
RICHinNC
Contributor
interesting observation Jeff.....you do see divers on cruise ship commercials...and there is the occasional diver story on educational tv....but that is about it.
could it also have anything to do with the grip the manufacturer's have on the industry and who can sell their product...and therefore not carry some other product.....or the lds have to inverst all their money and both kids in just one manufacturer??? hummmm....i wonder.....
could it also have anything to do with the grip the manufacturer's have on the industry and who can sell their product...and therefore not carry some other product.....or the lds have to inverst all their money and both kids in just one manufacturer??? hummmm....i wonder.....
slowdiver
Contributor
I think we need a good Scuba TV series to spark up the sport.
has anything to do with the perception that scuba diving is dangerous. The comments I have heard from many non-divers indicate that diving is a very high risk activity in which the odds of surviving a trip underwater is slim to none and is only taken up by adrenaline junkie thrill seeking daredevils.
Its a shame that the diving industry has not presented diving as reasonably low risk activity when you understand and apply a few simple laws of physics which have been known to man since the 1600's.
Its a shame that the diving industry has not presented diving as reasonably low risk activity when you understand and apply a few simple laws of physics which have been known to man since the 1600's.
I know that PADI and other agencies advertise in TRAVEL and Caribbean magazines. I couldn't imagine what it would cost to advertise in S.I.
RICHinNC
Contributor
good comment jbd....the feed back i get from some people is the fear of sharks and junk like that. My girlfriend has a fear of deep water and the weight of the gear is just too much for her.
I do find that when people ask me about my gear and what it costs I see big eyeballs. I dont have the best gear yet what I do have has cost me about $4000 and most of my friends hear that and that is all she wrote.
To tell the truth.....when I got into diving it was something I had always wanted to do. But then so was sky diving. Knowing what I know now....the cost....gotta have a buddy...yada yada...I would probably have gone with sky diving. But i am hooked now...I have all the gear now...or at least all i need...but I do see my diving time limited with age....health and the like.
Diving is just dang too dang expensive for the average joe and josephine. I am not rich by any means and when it comes time to buy something I research the dickens out of it....buy from lds...buy from internet....new...used....it drives me nuts. I have to watch every nickle and dime...yet...there are things I want to do before i check out of the net (die to you non-communicators) and it takes money so I pick and chose.
Well...this was a tangent to some probably....but...the point is...the cost of diving keeps many away. The more restrictive diving gets....harder entry tests ...and the like...the less divers there will be. I would have gotten into diving earlier in life but PADI hadnt dumbed down the requirments enough yet. OK here come the flames!!!!!! But, shops cant exist with just a "few" macho divers and to get the "masses" into diving, things have to be conducive enough to lure them in.
I do find it interesting local lds' wont spend the money for a cheap local commercial on local tv. I see them relying totally on word of mouth and once having a basement business that relied on word of mouth....not lucrative at all. And, I find it interesting that ...in my town at least....lds' spend more time bad mouthing each other than working together.
Man ....I have worked my brain way too much.....more wine.
I do find that when people ask me about my gear and what it costs I see big eyeballs. I dont have the best gear yet what I do have has cost me about $4000 and most of my friends hear that and that is all she wrote.
To tell the truth.....when I got into diving it was something I had always wanted to do. But then so was sky diving. Knowing what I know now....the cost....gotta have a buddy...yada yada...I would probably have gone with sky diving. But i am hooked now...I have all the gear now...or at least all i need...but I do see my diving time limited with age....health and the like.
Diving is just dang too dang expensive for the average joe and josephine. I am not rich by any means and when it comes time to buy something I research the dickens out of it....buy from lds...buy from internet....new...used....it drives me nuts. I have to watch every nickle and dime...yet...there are things I want to do before i check out of the net (die to you non-communicators) and it takes money so I pick and chose.
Well...this was a tangent to some probably....but...the point is...the cost of diving keeps many away. The more restrictive diving gets....harder entry tests ...and the like...the less divers there will be. I would have gotten into diving earlier in life but PADI hadnt dumbed down the requirments enough yet. OK here come the flames!!!!!! But, shops cant exist with just a "few" macho divers and to get the "masses" into diving, things have to be conducive enough to lure them in.
I do find it interesting local lds' wont spend the money for a cheap local commercial on local tv. I see them relying totally on word of mouth and once having a basement business that relied on word of mouth....not lucrative at all. And, I find it interesting that ...in my town at least....lds' spend more time bad mouthing each other than working together.
Man ....I have worked my brain way too much.....more wine.
about sharks also but most of the comments seem to indicate a fear of being underwater---even from people who swim. Personally I think the gear is overpriced by a lot. From all of the threads I have seen here, that is something that can be "blamed" on the manufactures and the policies they force on the shop owners.
I bought all of my gear and my OW cert for close to $1500 back in '94. I still have all of it except the big Pelican light that went to the bottom of the lake
So the gear will last a very long time if its taken care of. My amoritized cost of gear is just a little over $120/year and I expect to have that gear for several years longer. Most anything we do recreationally is somewhat costly when it comes to buying your own equipment for that activity.
Even bowling can be expensive if you buy your own stuff
Sadly I think you are correct about the LDS bashing each other. That seems to be a given wherever you are in the country.
As for radio and TV advertising, I know both shops in my area have tried radio and neither of them could identify any response to that advertising. Its hard for any small business to absorb those costs when they don't see a return.
I bought all of my gear and my OW cert for close to $1500 back in '94. I still have all of it except the big Pelican light that went to the bottom of the lake
So the gear will last a very long time if its taken care of. My amoritized cost of gear is just a little over $120/year and I expect to have that gear for several years longer. Most anything we do recreationally is somewhat costly when it comes to buying your own equipment for that activity.Even bowling can be expensive if you buy your own stuff
Sadly I think you are correct about the LDS bashing each other. That seems to be a given wherever you are in the country.
As for radio and TV advertising, I know both shops in my area have tried radio and neither of them could identify any response to that advertising. Its hard for any small business to absorb those costs when they don't see a return.
Arnaud
Contributor
Looking at other sports, I'm not sure that scubadiving should be singled out, here. Do you see a lot of ads for skiing gear, for instance? I don't have any stats, but it's pretty clear that the majority of "certified" divers are occasional resort divers. They dive once a year wherever they're spending they're vacations, just like most ski once a year.
That being said, if out of every 100 newly certified divers, say 5 or 10 become as addicted as we are, this niche market will eventually expand. And if it does, it will make gear cheaper. That may be a good thing, or would it?
That being said, if out of every 100 newly certified divers, say 5 or 10 become as addicted as we are, this niche market will eventually expand. And if it does, it will make gear cheaper. That may be a good thing, or would it?
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