This weekend’s Geico Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro offered those two companies, as well as event and BASS sponsor Toyota, featured exposure opportunities throughout the competition. BASS CEO Bruce Akin said the companies “are wanting to reach the fans, and reach the consumer, and we think we are doing that.” The Classic, considered the world championship of bass fishing, was held Friday through Sunday in and around Anderson and Greenville, S.C. Toyota Engagement Marketing Manager Jim Baudino said his company sees its sponsorship of BASS and the Bassmaster Classic as an opportunity to “prove that we could build a capable product to those people in Middle America, and really the Heartland.” Twenty-nine of the pro anglers in this year’s Classic field towed their boats with a Toyota. Baudino said, “In the beginning, I think there was only one angler that drove a Tundra, and now we have over half the anglers driving our products.” Toyota’s space at the Outdoors Expo, the primary location where sponsors could engage with fans, featured six vehicles: five trucks and a NASCAR-branded Camry, which also was the official pace car of the Daytona 500. The weigh-in event at Bon Secours Wellness Arena provided additional exposure: If a particular angler’s vehicle was not a Toyota, his boat was towed into the arena by a branded Tundra. Baudino added Toyota sees pro bass fishing as an opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the company’s products, especially its trucks. Baudino: “Our anglers would not drive our products if they did not believe in them, and that is huge. They drive 70,000 miles a year and they depend on our trucks for their income -- and that says a ton.” Toyota has been a BASS sponsor since ‘04. Meanwhile, Geico and GoPro are both in their second year of sponsoring the Classic.
GOING PRO: Geico’s activation at the event was focused primarily on promoting its boat insurance by exposure to the “Geico for your boat” slogan on digital platforms and signage as well as via promotional giveaways to fans. As a part of GoPro’s efforts, GoPro Hero4 cameras were installed in each angler’s boat. The content captured by those cameras was made available as part of the weekend’s online coverage. Akin said of GoPro, “It’s really also a content partnership in addition to a title.” In addition, a boat equipped with GoPro cameras was displayed in the GoPro exhibit at the Expo to demonstrate to fans how they were being used.
A DIFFERENT ANGLE: For this year’s tournament, BASS introduced Bassmaster Live, an online broadcast that featured live action from select anglers for the first time. A broadcast of the tournament will also air on ESPN2 next month. Akin pointed to the conditions of Lake Hartwell as well as renovations to Bon Secours Wellness Arena as reasons for bringing the event to South Carolina this year. He added, “It’s right in the heart of fishing country.” The opening day take-off, however, was delayed until after daylight Friday morning because of cold temperatures and related safety considerations.
