Selling safety for experience-based recreation
From jet skiing and stand-up paddleboarding to hitting the trails or off-roading on a four-wheeler, outdoor recreation is fun. However, on top of selling fun adventures, outdoor recreation companies are obligated to simultaneously sell safety.
Encouraging safe participation in outdoor recreation is a shared responsibility. Safety benefits everyone. The best campaigns inspire people to get out and explore while equipping them to do so responsibly.
Selling safety alongside experiences establishes and maintains public trust. When you invite people on the water or the trails to enjoy the outdoors — by boat, jet ski, kayak, paddleboard, foot or off-highway vehicle (OHV) — be sure to give them the tools to understand how to do so safely and responsibly. Make safety information accessible. Don’t bury it in fine print; rather, level up your safety information and present it within inspirational messaging.
For safety education, choose fun over fear.
Emphasizing safety in an outdoor recreation campaign doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice fun. In fact, some of the most effective safety campaigns are fun and educational. Safety is serious, but messaging doesn’t have to be frightening, negative, or discouraging. Choose catchy and educational words over fear-based language or do-or-die ultimatums. Don’t try to scare your audience into action. Take a positive approach to lead participants to behave in a desired way. Informative, memorable messaging shows respect for your audience and is more likely to be remembered.
The visuals you choose for your campaign are also important. Images that show people responsibly participating in outdoor recreation normalize safety. Show people wearing life jackets while boating, using helmets while operating OHVs, and staying on trails while hiking. Images allow you to reinforce your message by both telling AND showing participants how to responsibly engage in outdoor recreation.
The Arizona Game & Fish Department’s boating safety campaign communicates safety in both images and words. Bright colors, smiling participants, and fun, adventurous backdrops appear alongside creative, simple words that unite fun with safety. Slogans like “How fun floats” and “Get vested in fun” are more impactful than fear-based threats. They inspire participants to be safe on the water every visit, every time.
Strategy matters when selling safety
A precise media strategy combined with creative messaging is crucial to selling safety alongside experiences. For example, our campaign for the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s boat safety initiative offers examples of communicating the right message in the right place and time.
Message: The campaign goal is to spread awareness about wearing your life jacket every time you’re on the water. The latest version of the campaign focuses on kayaks and paddleboards rather than motorboats after the Arizona Game & Fish Department advised on the most troubling activities.
Location: The campaign focuses on high-priority lakes that have reported fatalities. Targeted ads are based on location, from digital ads driven by location tracking to physical signage at relevant marinas, sporting goods stores, and gas stations near the high-priority lakes.
Timing: The campaign meets the audience when they’re already engaged, whether they’re online looking for inspiration in YouTube videos on water sports or at the pump filling their boat with gas before getting on the water.
Commitment to safe tourism and outdoor recreation
Handling the nuances of inspiring participation while emphasizing safety in tourism and outdoor recreation requires a distinct skill set and understanding of the industry. It’s crucial to operate from a strategic lens and generate creative expressions — without losing sight of fun.
Off Madison Ave pairs a passion for Arizona’s outdoor scene with a deep understanding of the industry. Contact us today to talk about how you can effectively balance safety, fun, education, and adventure to sell your experience.
