NEPTUNE AWARDS

Marine Marketers of America [MMA], the voice for marketing professionals in the recreational marine industry, recognized the winners of the 2023 Neptune Awards competition at a high-profile award ceremony and cocktail reception during the 2024 Discover Boating™ Miami International Boat Show®. More than 250 prominent industry professionals attended the ceremony, which took place February 15 at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.

"We are thrilled to see the exceptional creativity and innovation showcased by this year's Neptune Awards winners,” said Alisdair Martin, Neptune Committee Co-Chair and MMA board member. “The diverse range of marketing talents within the marine industry continues to elevate every year and these achievements inspire us all. Congratulations to every winner for their outstanding contributions to marine marketing excellence and for making this year’s Neptune Awards a resounding success.”

An esteemed committee of 80 professionals judged entries across 24 different categories, covering a full range of marketing content and collateral.

JUDGES' COMMENTS

These three captivating stories and their characters powerfully present the Go Boldly lifestyle. Great to see the analytics on each film.

This is a powerful campaign with a unique execution plan to grow brand awareness in the west cost. The approach was creative and the fims delivered an emotional connection between the brand and the viewer.

These are excellent films, and the visuals are stunning. The incorporation of the engines was seamless and certainly achieved the goal of positioning Mercury as an attractive option for boaters on the West Coast.

2023 NEPTUNES WINNERS

ZF MARINE

ZF MARINE 2023 AD CAMPAIGN

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Incredible creative for this ad campaign. A nice job outlining all aspects of the campaign from the background to the creative brief, the creative, the ad buys, etc.

Well executed campaign with emphasis on key factors of safety, performance, green.

A brilliant campaign. Through striking photography and snappy headlines, the series of ads conveyed both the company's lengthy tenure and superior product quality.

MARINE RETAILERS
ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

AIMIE - AI FOR
MARINE INDUSTRY EDUCATION

JUDGES' COMMENTS

This is a marine industry search tool that pulls directly from in-house resources so the content is verified and applicable to its audience. Great tool.

MRAA created a wonderful way to showcase MRAA's many resources and make it easier to find them. AIMIE will be a fantastic tool for dealers to use, no matter their size, to address pain points in a variety of categories.

PURSUIT BOATS

2023 FORT LAUDERDALE
INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW

JUDGES' COMMENTS

This is solid marketing! Pursuit showed a good use of digital tactics with an exceptional email response. They engaged with the media in a meaningful and impactful way around the launch of their new model.

Overall this was a very well put together presentation. It was clear and concise and did a great job of fulfilling the brief. I like the variety of initiatives happening during the show to engage the in-person and online audience.

BAYLINER

REBRANDING CAMPAIGN

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Bright, fun and on target - Bayliner did a fantastic job on a rebrand that connects to a next generation of boaters.

This conveys a clear message that Bayliner is not the same as it was 60-plus years ago. Definitely more modern. It's youthful, fun, colorful and about supplying its diverse group of boat owners with a vessels to create memories on the water. Lots of smiles and togetherness - like an episode of "Friends" on the water in a boat, even if less "generations of boaters" in its overall approach.

SEA RAY BOATS

SLX 280 MODEL LAUNCH EMAIL

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Successful campaign with engaging visuals and informative workflows to keep the prospects engaged. Updating the website content with each new email is a smart strategy to maintain.

PURSUIT BOATS

2023 PURSUIT RENDEZVOUS - ABACOS

JUDGES' COMMENTS

The thoughtful planning and seamless execution of this event paid off, resulting in an outstanding outcome.

Overall, this campaign screamed brand loyalty! This is an exclusive event for only Pursuit owners and it shows. As a consumer, I found myself trying to find how to get an invite/or register for this event.

AKZONOBEL

THAT FEELING

JUDGES' COMMENTS

AkzoNobel have done a wonderful job of harnessing the power of respected, leading influencers to share the pride and passion of That Feeling of being on the water.

It envelopes an emotional connection to the water and boating while leveraging the entertainers of the industry. Very well done!

Very intricate campaign with very strong stats! Very well done.

ZOE RAWITZ

TACO MARINE

JUDGES' COMMENTS

She is setting a foundation for others to follow.

Clear examples of how she made an impact to the brand consistency and the work she's done.

WOW! Zoe seems to excel at all that she takes on, and at TACO, it appears she has taken on a lot! In the ever changing world of social media, it's imperative that we continue to stay educated about the next new thing. Zoe has demonstrated this and more.

TACO would be wise to keep a firm grasp on Zoe and her momentum; she's certainly going places, both at TACO and the industry. Congrats on finding a rock star!

Zoe has done an incredible job at TACO contributing to multiple marketing and communications projects that have had a positive impact on the company. Her passion is clear and her drive undeniable.

BD OUTDOORS

WEST COAST FILM SERIES

JUDGES' COMMENTS

These three captivating stories and their characters powerfully present the Go Boldly lifestyle. Great to see the analytics on each film.

YAMAHA BOATS & WAVERUNNERS

2023 YAMAHA BOATS
& WAVERUNNERS

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Bold, clearly targeted campaign with especially well-documented effectiveness.

The Women Run the Water campaign is empowering, thoughtful, inclusive and clear in its mission - with the results to prove it! Bravo to the Yamaha marketing team for their commitment to championing women on the water!

Overall a well thought out campaign with impressive results.

SHELL MARINE

SHELL MARINE &
MAN ES TECHNICAL SEMINAR

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Well-designed and executed webinar with strong results.

This campaign was "out of the box" thinking at it's best. To use a seminar as a lead generation tool is very innovative and top it with an integration of gamification - wow!

MARINE CONNECTION

QUOTER

JUDGES' COMMENTS

This is truly a game-changer for the company. Further they use the data to improve their overall marketing and targeting going forward. This innovation has long-term, lasting impact.

Integrating payment and allowing for multiple options for discounts make the pain point of waiting for a quote revision disappear. Great job creating a solution to a problem and reaping the rewards of the effort.

This is how marketers should be using data. It helps deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.

MERCURY MARINE

MERCURY RACING P1 & F1 SHEBOYGAN

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Really cool partnership effort on all levels. Great to see a marine OEM partnering with not one but two independent event organizers plus tying in the host community for their support.

Strong visual identity and assets created.

The new partnership between Mercury Racing and P1 demonstrates that the sport is here to stay.

AQUILA POWER CATAMARANS

AQUILA 47 MOLOKAI

JUDGES' COMMENTS

An amazing job staying on brand with all marketing initiatives. From social media, email and staying on messaging.

A very thoughtful, multi-channel approach for the launch of their new 47 Molokai. I appreciated the brand consistency across all customer touchpoints, and liked how they leveraged each channel with unique content to engage specific audiences across video, social, email, and their website.

SEA RAY BOATS

SHOPPING GUIDE CAMPAIGN

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Good use of visual and written information together. Helping new or undecided boaters figure out which boat works best for them is important. Sea Ray provides a clear benefit to boat shoppers with this program.

I like the idea of focusing on the middle funnel, and I think that this type of campaign works for that! The ads were perfect for social media.

RECREATIONAL BOATING &
FISHING FOUNDATION (RBFF)

TAKE ME FISHING™ INVITES WOMEN TO “FIND YOUR BEST SELF ON THE WATER”!

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Overall the language was consistent and the target audience was clear - as a woman myself, this made me want to try fishing!

The campaign made fishing seem approachable to anyone even with a focus on women enjoying the angler lifestyle!

Great multi-faceted campaign with impressive reach. There were objectives and measures in place. The campaign looks to be successful in helping women see themselves on the water.

SEA RAY BOATS

EXPECT MORE: A BOAT BUYER’S

GUIDE BY SEA RAY

JUDGES' COMMENTS

WOW! SeaRay hit it out of the park. This digital/ ebook catalog is sleek, it is fun, it screams I must have one of these! Well done!

An extremely well done piece of e-collateral. Content is well organized, design is both cohesive and functional. Copy is well written to be accessible and informative. Sea Ray did this the right way to both help a potential boat owner ask the right questions regardless of brand they are looking at, while subtly incorporating Sea Ray information.

The inclusion of a digital ad campaign and a dedicated landing page for capturing leads and information is a strategic approach. It exemplifies an astute understanding of leveraging a PDF format in our increasingly online world. This strategy not only promotes the e-book but also extends its reach and effectiveness of it's digital marketing.

COBALT BOATS

COBALT TIME CAPSULE CONTEST

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Great way to leverage Cobalt's history.

This is an amazing campaign that relied on user generated content, which is so hard to get. There was little cost to this campaign and it was very authentic.

This campaign hit the mark and really showed that Cobalt Boats knows its audiene and brand. It was a very creative approach to brand extension with clearly defined objectives, contest parameters and prizes.

Every element (from hashtags to the narrative) had a lot of thought. It accomplished enhancing brand loyalty and getting the users involved with the brand. It also has longevity and can be replicated year after year.

SPORT FISHING CHAMPIONSHIP

"FISHING'S EMERGING FAN BASE" STUDY

JUDGES' COMMENTS

This was a great use of true analytics and not working the numbers. I also liked that they went outside the typical industry opportunities and tapped into a new pipeline of prospects. That is exactly what our industry needs in a new way to bring in potential boaters!

Great information and uses the data for a great purpose.

MALIBU BOATS

LET’S MALIBU VIDEO SERIES

JUDGES' COMMENTS

The "Let's Malibu" video campaign shows a young, active and adventurous on-the-water vibe, which is presumably their target audience. High quality production and enviable action shots.

Innovative introduction scenes - love ! These videos definitely convey the elements of fun, adventure and energy. Love the use of "Malibu" as a verb.

I enjoyed the storytelling element of this campaign wrapped around the key message of 'let's Malibu' whilst also presenting the key information of the range. Using influential figures that the audience is likely familiar with is also a clever and much appreciated aspect of this campaign. The production quality was top notch, super engaging.

COBALT BOATS

R35 OUTBOARD:
GIRLS DAY ON THE WATER

JUDGES' COMMENTS

The video was able to appeal to emotions and visually show the target audience while simultaneously providing details and information about the product.

Well done. The talent was appropriate for the price point of this model. The infographics worked well.

MALIBU BOATS

LET’S MALIBU “TEASER” VIDEO

JUDGES' COMMENTS

Overall, this video is outstanding! It features an excellently crafted opening with a suspenseful cliffhanger that built curiosity about what's to come.

The variety of equipment used in this shoot is impressive, ranging from underwater shots to breathtaking aerial footage.

The copy is cleverly written and overlaid throughout the visuals. The setting and backdrop of the boating scenes fit the Malibu brand - overall the brand message is consistent and clear with the Let's Malibu tagline.

This submission not only captures the joy experienced on the water but also effectively showcases some impressive technology.

SPORTSMAN BOATS

SPORTSMAN BOATS WEBSITE

JUDGES' COMMENTS

It's fascinating to see the attention to detail and time invested into this website, which really puts the customer in the drivers seat. I appreciated the detailed breakdown of leads by type.

Overall, this site, is applause-worthy in its design and consumer-friendly makeup is industry-leading, a modern interactive CX model others could follow to enhance boat buying prior to even stepping foot on a showroom floor.

The visualizations and interactivity allows the viewer the chance to get into the site and touch/feel some of the products.