New Zealand’s population is pretty thinly spread. And for Hutchwilco, a boating safety company, the target audience is particularly far flung. This means outdoor advertising is fairly redundant, and given the lack of local tv production, product placement isn’t an option. The only opportunity to truly hit all people would be tv ads, but the costs are prohibitive for a mid sized company such as Hutchwilco. Thus, we needed an idea that wasn’t mainstream media specific, at the same time as being accessible and interesting to all members of the target audience.

Boaties are sick of people trying to scare them into staying safe. We needed to talk to them in a different way, in a way that engaged them, not turned them off. The Secret Fishing Spots app acknowledged a bad habit of boaties, and helped turn it into a safety mechanism. After initial PR nudges on talkback radio and fishing magazines, the app gained traction with boaties and word of mouth did the rest.

Over the summer the target audience have kept the app consistently in the top 10 of free sporting apps on itunes. On the app itself, over 2,000 spots have been registered - a big deal for a demographic who tend not to tell a soul where they go.

For Hutchwilco it’s built up a new database, with 50% of those registering opting in to be contacted directly by the company through this new channel.

Most importantly it’s changed the way fishermen behave, providing them and their families with a valuable tool to keep themselves safe, that they’re actually using.