Humminbird and Minn Kota Renew Bassmaster Premier Sponsorships
OutdoorHub 03.12.13
Two brands bass anglers know by heart, Minn Kota and Humminbird, are again partnering with B.A.S.S. as official Premier Sponsors of all Bassmaster Tournament Trails.
Humminbird and Minn Kota are brands of Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics, which has entered into a multiyear agreement with B.A.S.S. LLC to continue in a Premier-level sponsorship for the marine electronics, boat positioning and trolling motor products. The agreement encompasses the highest-level sponsorship status for the Bassmaster Classic, Bassmaster Elite Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Opens Series, B.A.S.S. Nation events and the Carhartt Bassmaster College Series.
“We’re excited and pleased about the sponsorship,” said Jeff Kolodzinski, Humminbird brand manager. “We look forward to continuing our long-standing association with B.A.S.S., which continues to lead the way across all tournament and media platforms. We recognize the caliber of anglers and fans within the B.A.S.S. experience, and we’re eager to be part of that.”
“Bassmaster is a natural sponsorship for us,” said Minn Kota Marketing Director Joe Brown. “Bassmaster is the leader in competitive bass fishing, and Minn Kota trolling motors have long been the choice of bass anglers. We are excited to continue our partnership with Bassmaster in supporting the sport of fishing and providing bass fishing competition at the highest level.”
At B.A.S.S., CEO Bruce Akin said: “The 2013 season holds so much promise for our members, fans and participating anglers, as well as for our partners. We’re honored to have Minn Kota and Humminbird be counted among those partners. We’re working together to make this the best Bassmaster season yet.”
The two brands will continue to have a presence at Bassmaster events throughout the schedule; by the end of 2013 alone, 32 events will have taken place in 20 different states. Next up is the Elite Series season opener, the March 14-17 Sabine River Challenge presented by STARK Cultural Venues out of Orange, Texas. There, Humminbird will have exclusive sponsorship of BASSCam video productions, as it will at all Bassmaster Elite Series events, Bassmaster Opens and the Bassmaster Classic.
In addition to connecting with anglers and Bassmaster fans through tournaments, Minn Kota and Humminbird will be reaching the core consumer group of bass fishermen through all B.A.S.S. digital, print and broadcast properties. Those include The Bassmasters TV show, Bassmaster.com, and B.A.S.S. Times and Bassmaster magazines. One specific way Minn Kota will be prominent in print is with its sponsorship of Bassmaster Magazine’s popular Lunker Club feature.
Humminbird, a fishing brand for more than 40 years, has an established reputation for technological advancements. A recent example is Humminbird 360 Imaging, voted Best in Show when it was introduced at the 2012 ICAST trade show and received a quick reinforcement by Popular Science Magazine as one of the 100 best technology innovations of the year.
“Humminbird’s 360 Imaging technology is a perfect fit for bass anglers. B.A.S.S. is a great group to assist in the positioning of that technology with this core group of marine electronics consumers,” Kolodzinski said.
The Minn Kota brand, born almost 80 years ago, has a history rich with “firsts.” The newest Minn Kota technology includes the i-Pilot Link, that allows select Humminbird units and select Minn Kota trolling motors to communicate; the Precision onboard chargers; and the Endura Max transom-mount trolling motor that can run up to five times longer on a single charge — a feature important to bass anglers, who also know Minn Kota for its Talon shallow-water anchoring system.
