Fishhound Lands 23 New Advertising Contracts Over the Past Two Months
OutdoorHub 02.06.14
Fishhound.com, the outdoor industry’s largest word-of-mouth marketing platform, announced that it acquired 15 new advertising partners over the past two months, while all eight partners with contracts expiring during this period chose to renew their advertising agreements.
Rick Patri, Fishhound.com’s Vice President, Operations, credits Fishhound’s ability to continuously attract new advertising partners, and satisfy existing clients, to the advantages and effectiveness of its unique advertising program. “Our Product Showcase enables manufacturers of tackle and other outdoor-related offerings to pay for advertising with product rather than cash,” said Patri. “By simply supplying us with an agreed-upon amount of product, we’re able to provide valuable exposure to our large and continuously growing online angling community. Since this is a straight product-for-promotion trade, the manufacturer pays significantly less for the same amount of ad space and impressions.”
Also differentiating Fishhound from traditional “pay for play” advertising options is the way its word-of-mouth marketing gets everything from lures, to rods, to terminal tackle and fishing accessories, in the hands of avid freshwater and saltwater fishermen. “The field-testing component of our Product Showcase program makes it easy for our members to test and keep the items supplied by our advertising partners, Patri noted. “They’re then required to provide feedback on the performance of those products, which are reviewed by our staff prior to posting at our site. This positive, compelling ‘word-of-mouth’ marketing spreads quickly and virally through Fishhound’s Facebook page (which boasts nearly 700,000 fans), and other social media channels, influencing the buying decisions of a huge audience of fishing enthusiasts.”
Contract renewals by existing Fishhound manufacturer partners, as well as the large number of new companies signing on to promote their offerings through the Product Showcase, are testament to the productivity and success of Fishound’s advertising methods.
Nick Tamburro, co-founder of Freedom Tackle Corp., is one of many satisfied Fishhound partners. “The opportunity to generate widespread consumer interest and brand awareness without having to pay cash is an attractive advertising option that truly benefits us from a cost standpoint,” said Tamburro. “We started up with Fishhound early in 2013, and we’re happy to fulfill another order based on the impressive returns we’re realizing on our investment.”
Jason Schwartz, founder and CEO of Advantage Bait Company, just began partnering with Fishhound in December 2013, but is already a believer in the power of the site’s unique marketing approach. “Every company wants its product to speak for itself,” notes Schwartz. “Fishhound amplifies that message by getting anglers to try out our tackle and tell all their friends about the quality and performance. Through this partnership, we’re able to reap the advantages of traditional advertising impressions as well as compelling ‘word-of-mouth’ promotion, and we can pay that exposure with product instead of cash.”
