If you do not live in Australia you may not have seen the news that a 16 year old girl Jessica Watson successfully sailed around the world unassisted.
Apart from the feat itself which was pretty astounding, what caught my attention was the planning and execution by the team responsible for the marketing of the whole journey.
From the start this was well planned from before she took off, throughout the voyage to the big event of her arrival in Sydney Harbour.
Apart from the tactics used prior, during and for the arrival into Sydney Harbour they have also lined up events and deals to capitalise on the feat.
Sure they would have made changes to the plan throughout the voyage and probably will do in the future. What they achieved however, is a good example of how to make sure all the important elements are thought through and actioned well to get results.
The 4 Marketing lessons I would like to share are:
Planning is Essential
This is obvious but can you imagine if they just tried to wing it and tried to get the publicity and deals at the last moment.
Ignore Criticism
There have been critics as to the way the whole arrival was orchestrated. You can’t please everyone and the team had a number of people it had to satisfy from sponsors to the fans.
Action the Plan
Planning is essential, however unless it is actioned well it is a waste of time and money. Although she was 3 hours late arriving, the way they had set up the arrival meant people waited for her to arrive and be part of the event.
Keep up the Engagement
This was a long voyage and throughout the time they used a mixture of activities and tools to keep the interest and engagement flowing.
There were different stories in the media and she blogged and used video so her many fans could be a part of her journey with her. There were also merchandising that could be bought from the website.
Whilst you may not have the team etc as Jessica, these simple yet powerful lessons can be applied to any business.
If you watched this unfold can you share any other marketing lessons you have learnt with us?
Hi Susan,
I love you advice to “ignore criticism”.
When I saw the news footage of Watson arriving in Sydney my first thought was, “She’s a better marketer than she is a sailor, and that’s saying a lot. I suspect her marketing team have been organising her homecoming for as long as she’s been on the water.
The other thing I would add to your story is to rehearse your message. At the press conference, Watson was amazingly composed. She had a lot of time on that boat to think about what she would say. She made a huge impression on everyone, including the PM.
Nice post.
Hi Sarah,
Excellent point about rehearsing your message. She was composed and I would think the team made sure she was confident to answer any question.
4 Powerful Marketing Lessons From a Voyage Around the World…
If you do not live in Australia you may not have seen the news that a 16 year old girl Jessica Watson successfully sailed around the world unassisted. Apart from the feat itself which was pretty astounding, what caught my attention was the planning and…
Susan, your EXCELLENT post made my day!!! How rich it is in tips, advice and principles for all of our businesses! I saw the story on the news…it was impossible to miss. You are so right that every journey (sailing or business) needs proper planning and marketing. I especially like the words about ignoring your detractors/criticism. Our detractors can be so numerous: people telling us it can’t be done, people questioning “how” we do it, statistics of small business failure which discourage us from attempting to fulfill our dreams, and perhaps most importantly, that little voice in our heads which says “how can I overcome all of the obstacles and succeed?” This is an inspiring story and an equally inspiring post!
Yoni
Hi Yoni,
Thanks so much for your comments. I totally agree with you and the interesting news item I read today was that she had to work to help pay for the expenses.
For me that shows if you want something badly enough you do the hard yards and keep your focus regardless of what others say you should or should not do.
Cheers,
Susan