Is ScubaBoard representative of the diving population at large?

[AdivingBel]

Show fit women and have them say "Wow, that was a great workout and I don't feel as tired as when I work out in the gym."

hmmm...didn't I just see that on TV...I think it was the new Viagra ad

 

[EFX]

While that would help, here's your problem--who pays for those ads?

When General Mills makes commercials that work, General Mills reaps the benefit of increased sales of their products.

If a great scuba commercial sends people into their local dive shop to purchase dive gear, the local dive shop does well, but local dive shops cannot possibly devote the kind of money needed for such a campaign. Equipment manufacturers can benefit, but so will all the other equipment manufacturers who did not put any money into that campaign. Dive agencies will get some money from increased instruction, but that is only a tiny slice of the pie, not enough to offset the cost of that advertising. Additionally, there are more than 100 agencies. If one of them--say PADI--bankrolls the commercials, losing money in the process, then all the rest that did not contribute will be the ones who benefit.

The association has to be made with PADI (or your favorite agency) not diving in general. While diving "wannabes" who do not have PADI shops might be left out, those in PADI infested areas will migrate to those shops. Each shop could contribute to a national campaign or a few could give less for a regional campaign. Although I mentioned Cheerios as an example we don't need to limit ourselves to TV. We can include local papers and radio which would be much cheaper. At any rate, I guess RJP has his work cut out for him.

 

[drrich2]

Suppose I told you that, overall, you're wrong? Would you believe me?

Or would you want me to prove it to you?

While it is your area of expertise, not mine, I'd want you to prove it, at least in part because that enables us to gain more insight than just taking it on faith.

If, on the other hand, I am not wrong, and exploration (whether of wrecks, reefs, wildlife, etc&#8230 is a fundamental appeal of scuba diving, it dove-tails nicely with an observation someone else/others made that scuba's competition includes things such as the Internet, big screen t.v., YouTube...

The premise is that whereas in prior generations people chose active 1st hand exploration/adventure/sight-seeing what-have-you, the modern generation has taken to virtualization in cyberspace as a substitute. No library, check Wikipedia. Don't dive, look at YouTube videos by people who do. And so on.

Perhaps an ad might open with someone looking at YouTube videos on a little screen, then people talking about what someone else they never met is doing, and narrate or caption the point that you could spend your entire life watching other peoples' stories…or live your own making yours. Then you see other people watching YouTube videos of our guy diving magnificent reefs & wrecks. You speak of experiencing weightlessness like an astronaut in space, history 1st hand (wrecks), gorgeous landscapes with wildlife you'll never elsewhere… If you're a real cynic, close with an elderly man in a rocking chair on the porch, his little grandson asking him what he did when he was young, and he says 'Oh, I watched videos on the Internet.' Diving makes you alive, interesting, admired. Be part of the Life experience. Are you living your life?

Richard.

 

[widget]

While that would help, here's your problem--who pays for those ads?

When General Mills makes commercials that work, General Mills reaps the benefit of increased sales of their products.

If a great scuba commercial sends people into their local dive shop to purchase dive gear, the local dive shop does well, but local dive shops cannot possibly devote the kind of money needed for such a campaign. Equipment manufacturers can benefit, but so will all the other equipment manufacturers who did not put any money into that campaign. Dive agencies will get some money from increased instruction, but that is only a tiny slice of the pie, not enough to offset the cost of that advertising. Additionally, there are more than 100 agencies. If one of them--say PADI--bankrolls the commercials, losing money in the process, then all the rest that did not contribute will be the ones who benefit.

Indeed, it would be great if it could happen, but, as I alluded in another thread, diving is a tripartite alliance, training agencies, equipment manufacturers and tour / charter operators, and all three need to be involved financially in any kind of programme like this, or the other benefits unduly from their input.
Unfortunately, these kind's of resources are also, so to say, pretty scarce in scuba, and although some might be able to contribute others may not have that luxury, and frankly I dont know how you would get around that. Add to that one would also need a reliable, involved facilitator to oversee all this and ensure financial prudence and sustainability, Dema could possibly fill that spot, but I would guess it may not be their ambit either.

Its not to say its impossible, but sadly, the low hanging fruit has been plucked a long time ago, I dont see a quick fix anymore.

 

[RJP]

While that would help, here's your problem--who pays for those ads?

Even if we don't have ads, it would be great.. no, it is CRITICAL... that the dive industry figure out what it is that we're selling, and let everyone in the industry know so that we're all on the same page and give the dive customer a unified, single-minded brand message every time they come in contact with scuba diving.

That said, armed with a good message, anyone who wanted to do local-market TV ads would have a far great chance of success than simply guessing that the conventional wisdom of "Diving = Adventure" is the best thing to promise potential new divers. (It isn't... just so you know.)

 

[RJP]

Some prelim information on Divers (n=100) vs ScubaBoard Divers (n=200).


More information as it becomes available.

 

[Bob DBF]

[video=youtube_share;krD4hdGvGHM]http://youtu.be/krD4hdGvGHM[/video]

 

[widget]

Even if we don't have ads, it would be great.. no, it is CRITICAL... that the dive industry figure out what it is that we're selling, and let everyone in the industry know so that we're all on the same page and give the dive customer a unified, single-minded brand message every time they come in contact with scuba diving.

That said, armed with a good message, anyone who wanted to do local-market TV ads would have a far great chance of success than simply guessing that the conventional wisdom of "Diving = Adventure" is the best thing to promise potential new divers. (It isn't... just so you know.)

Indeed, I like it and when you think about it, its actually perfectly logical, I also like that its possible to follow over to international applications because, generally, people all over are not really that different.

I think you are onto something here for sure.

 

[lowviz]

...//... I think you are onto something here for sure.

OK, OK. I completed your damn poll...

 

[MrCultureJammer]

We need commercials or radio spots

HA! That's funny. I remember radio.

(PS No one listens to the radio anymore. Music that someone else picked out for me? How 1989.)

More than ever, people are ad-adversive. Commercial on the radio? My finger is on the button to change it right away. TV spot? I cannot remember who was president the last time I sat thru a tv spot with my TIVO (and if I don't pre-record everything now, I certainly wait 10 minutes after start time to join in. This lets me have a "buffer zone" of time so I can FFW thru tv spots "live" as they come up, and still watch the show in real time.) Sit thru a captive "pre-watch" video online? No way. If I click on something I want to see, and it starts with a sales pitch, I'm immediately out, and I'll do a search to find that same content without the sales pitch welded in. Those 10+ commercials before a movie I paid to see in a theater? Nope. Plan ahead, and you can miss those too.