The document outlines a campaign titled 'Better Together' for West Marine, targeting a new audience of adventurers aged 25-40, while maintaining current customer relationships. The campaign seeks to reposition West Marine from a traditional boating retailer to a community-focused water life outfitter through social media and promotional events. With a budget of $100,000, the strategy emphasizes building brand awareness and showcasing the enjoyment of water activities shared with family and friends.

1. A1 AGENCY
West Marine
Better Together Campaign
December 8, 2015

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3. 04
content
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Team Intros Executive Summary
The Brief
The Client
External Creative Strategy
and Executions
Media Plan and Budget Summary
Internal Creative Strategy
and Executions
The Target
Findings, Insights and the
Big Idea
06
3

5. Catalina
My free time is
always spent with
my family, friends, or
dogs. I’m stranger
than I seem.
Hash
A creative who aims to
express his originality
with all he does. On
his spare time he
enjoys doodling,
drawing, and design-
ing.
Mariah
I’m an advertising
major with knack for
traveling, theater arts,
and photography who
doesn’t like writing
short quirky bios for
myself.
Sasha
I like to explore
new places, new
concepts and
engage in new
ventures.
Amanda
I’ll bring the cham-
pagne you bring the
glasses. I’m an ad
graduate at SJSU with
a focus in communi-
cation studies, which
means we’re chatting
about media.
Le Roi
I enjoy discussing
ideas and seeing
what makes people
tick over inebriant
and caffeinated bev-
erages.
Anjelica
Ad major with a love
for design. In my
spare time I write
Kanye’s rap lyrics,
fight crime and kiss
babies.
Winnie
Traveling is passion
and being bilingual
and multicultural has
perks! With that, I
want to use advertis-
ing as the interna-
tional vehicle to reach
people around the
world.
5

7. A1A is a creative agen-
cy whose members come
from all walks of life. Our col-
lective perspectives guide our
analyses and ensure pertinent
and bespoke solutions re-
gardless of the client.
While West Marine has
a sizable target audience, as
outlined in their Admiral and
Captain archetypes, they have
yet to expand their reach to
men and women ages 35-54,
also known as Adventurers.
While solitude and
family characterize the exist-
ing audience, the Adventurer
is marked by a more vibrant
social life and messages
aimed toward them must
also be socially minded. We
propose “Better Together,” a
campaign centered on com-
munity on the water. It pro-
motes West Marine’s active
life products, such as kayaks,
as well as collaborative pro-
grams in order for the brand
to be seen as more than just
a boating supply store; it’s a
Water life Outfitter that puts
camaraderie first.
With consideration to
the evolving media habits of
the target, our solution effec-
tively engages the Adventurer
on familiar ground during a
time when cause-related and
social media marketing is
growing.
Let’s get started
7

8. - Create a brand story that will resonate
with all customer segments and grow
over time.
- Develop a strategy for West Marine to
transition from a traditional boating
retailer to a Water life Outfitter, while
staying authentic to our current
customers and attracting new customers.
- Apply multi­media channels to create a
campaign to launch the reposition of
West Marine as a Water life Outfitter to
the customers and associates.
- Create and develop the campaign with
$100,000 as the budget.
- Introduce West Marine to the target
customer: Adventurers who are men and
women in the ages 25-­40 while maintain-
ing a steady business with the current
customers who are men in the ages 53­
65.
- Utilizing water sports to create fun, ex-
citing and memorable moments for the
customers.
- Create and develop external strategies
towards customers to promote West
Marine as a Water life Outfitter tailored
to all different types of personas.
- Create and develop internal strategies
targeted towards the West Marine to
help the employers and employees
within West Marine to achieve a better
relationship.
- Using the given budget to develop a
successful campaign utilizing different
platforms of social media.
The Challenge
Primary Objectives
8

11. The adventurer is between the
ages of 25 and 40. They are single and
earn at least $50,000 in a year. They
are experiencers and strivers. They are
contemporary, trend seeking, style con-
scious, variety seeking, imitative and im-
pulsive. They most likely grew up around
the water and have family or long-term
friends who enjoy a water lifestyle.
They enjoy wake boarding, wake
surfing, mountain biking, rock climbing,
snowboarding, longboarding, surfing,
trick skiing, hiking and paddleboarding.
They are heavily involved in social me-
dia and like to share their experiences
with others through Instagram, Twitter,
Snapchat and YouTube. Most of their time
is spent working, but their free time is
taken up by adventurers with friends. They
do not own a boat, but they have family
and/or friends who do. Exercise consists
of Yoga, Pilates and Crossfit. They enjoy
powerboating because it is something
they can do with friends while camping
and partying.
They do not enjoy sailing as they
find it boring, expensive or too much of
a hassle. They prefer to shop online or at
a small local store. They drive a newer,
gas-saving sedan. Either they have never
heard of West Marine or have heard of it,
but have never shopped there.
adventurer
11

12. The captain archetype is
between the ages of 40 and 60.
They are married, have children
and earn at least $150,000 in a
year. They are believers and mak-
ers. They are loyal, moralistic,
practical, literal, self-sufficient and
responsible.
They enjoy the water with
their families as well as their
friends. They like to kayak, water
ski, hike, camp, travel. They own a
boat, whether it be a powerboat
or a sail boat. They have found a
good balance between work and
relaxation. They use social media
to keep in touch with family and
friends, mostly through Facebook
and twitter.
They like to shop online and
in-store. They own a newer, gas-sav-
ing sedan as well as a truck to pull
the boat trailer. They know of West
Marine and may shop there, but are
not loyal customers.
captain

13. The admiral archetype is be-
tween the ages of 60 and 75. They
are usually married and have chil-
dren, but may be single.
They earn about $250,000 and
have more free time than the other
archetypes. They are thinkers and
achievers. They are goal-oriented,
sophisticated, informed, reflective,
content and traditional.
They own a boat and typically
prefer sailing to powerboating. They
enjoy bringing their grandchildren,
children and friends along with them.
The have a genuine love of the water.
They are well-traveled and drive a
luxury car.
They enjoy gardening, work-
ing on their boat, and attending local
wine and food festivals. They may
use Facebook to keep in touch with
friends. They like to do research on-
line, but purchase in store. They are
loyal customers of West Marine, or at
least shop there frequently.
admiral
13

15. 15

16. 1968
company
history
1975
1977
1991
1996
1993
1978
West Marine was founded in
1968 by Randy Repass with
the name West Coast Ropes
in Sunnyvale, California.
Repass began by selling
nylon rope in his garage.
The first store was opened
in 1975 in Palo Alto.
In 1977, the company
changed its name to
West Marine Products,
Inc.
A wholesale division called
Port Supply was established
in 1978.
1991, the first West Marine
stores were opened on the
East Coast.
The company went
public on the NASDAQ
exchange in 1993.
while in 1996, West Marine merged with
E&B to target a larger group of powerboat
enthusiasts. West Marine is a specialty re-
tailer that offers boating gear and apparel,
as well as other water life-related products
to consumers who enjoy spending time on
or around the water.
16

17. internal
stakeholders
external
stakeholders
West Marine’s management
team, board of directors,
employees, and shareholders.
Matt Hyde is the company’s
current CEO, while Jeff Lasher
is the Chief Financial Officer.
West Marine’s consumers
(boating and water life enthu-
siasts), financial groups and
civic organizations.

19. market sector
$35.4 BN
Total U.S. expenditures on
boats, engines and accesso-
ries in 2014
71.5% of boat owners have
a household income of less
than 100k. In 2014.
35.7% of the U.S. adult popu-
lation participated in recre-
ational boating at least once
in 2014.
North America accounts for the largest
share in the global recreational boating
market
In 2014, boat sales
went up by 0.5%
(534k units)
In 2014, powerboat
sales increased by
6.4% (171.5k units)
Personal watercraft
sales increased by
21.6% (47.9k units)
in 2014
71.5% 35.7%
+.5% +6.4% +21.6%
19

20. Marine Products Corp. designs and manu-
factures fiberglass boats. Its products in-
clude both pleasure and sport fishing boats.
Net sales amounted to 47.98M in 2014. It
has a market cap of 258.6M and accounts
for 2.5% of the boat-manufacturing industry.
Strengths: Diverse and innovative product
lines, strong independent dealer network,
no-debt policy, niche market specialization,
dealer incentive programs to control inven-
tory, quality boats at lower prices
Weaknesses: Grown solely through inter-
nal means, issues with generating positive
returns on projects
Opportunities: Increased demand for boat-
ing products, growing powerboat market,
rising appeal of entry-level products/boats
Threats: Possibility of interruption of supply
or change of vendors, many small competi-
tors with seasonal discretionary goods that
offer similar services
Brunswick Corp. is a manufacturer of rec-
reational products in the marine, fitness
and billiards industries. Net sales in 2014
amounted to 245.7M. It has a market cap
of 4.771BN and accounts for 8.2% of the
boat-manufacturing industry.
Strengths: Reasonable product valuation,
general knowledge of several fields
Weaknesses: Limited differentiation of
products, repeated recalls of products
(compromise on quality), lack of a strong
core, highly unionized workforce
Opportunities: Increased demand for
both fishing and top-end boats, appeal to
varying markets and demographics
Threats: Loss of customers due to low
switching costs and competitor niche
specialization, debt-to-equity higher than
industry average
competitor review
20

21. REI carries outdoor and sporting goods
equipment. They stand for a life outdoors
and they have 122 stores in 32 states. In
2014, net sales amounted to 2.2 BN.
Strengths: Strong brand name, innovative
culture, high quality apparel, knowledge-
able staff, unique employee benefits,
maintenance of consumer loyalty through
memberships
Weaknesses: High prices, capital invest-
ments limited to private investors, too
many people involved in the company
Opportunities: Functioning as the first
sporting goods store through a consumer
cooperative, leveraging consumer rela-
tionships.
Threats: Limited financial resources (com-
pany has not gone public) that could make
it difficult to make the co-op transition
Bass Pro Shops is a leading outdoor retail-
er that offers sporting and outdoor goods
to fishing, hunting, camping and golfing
enthusiasts. They have 94 retail stores in
the U.S. and in Canada. Net sales amount-
ed to 4.25BN in 2014.
Strengths: Wide array of products, strong
brand name, employee loyalty, well-edu-
cated sales force
Weaknesses: Limited amount of specialty
products, conservative management,
higher cost than that of competitors
Opportunities: Large market growth,
changing demographic, new technology
Threats: Substitute and specialty stores
that offer the same products and more
21

22. Brand Value Proposition
West Marine is committed to being the
best supplier of boating-related prod-
ucts for recreation on the water, as well
as to providing relevant content and
superior customer service both in-store
and online. They offer a wide selection
of boating and water recreation prod-
ucts through physical stores and two
ecommerce sites, which makes them a
lead omni-channel specialty retailer in
the industry.
Brand Identity
West Marine is positioned to “own the
water”. They provide everything for life
on the water.
brand value
and identity

23. comms barrier 1 comms barrier 2 comms barrier 3
comms task 1
tactics 1
comms task 2
campaign idea
positioning
business problem
tactics 2
comms task 3
tactics 3
West Marine is not noticed by
their target audience.
“Adventurers” and new-comers to the water lifestyle
don’t understand West Marine’s relevance.
West-Marine is the all-inclusive store for the water
lifestyle
West Marine is the source that brings people togeth-
er through water recreational activities
Create bigger brand awareness
for West Marine.
Use social media and the
internet to push people
to come together and join
the water lifestyle.
Some water sports are done
alone.
Show why being together with
others on water is more enjoy-
able
Print and digital ads: “some
things can’t be done alone,”
“some things are better to-
gether”
The target audience doesn’t
understand the relationship be-
tween West Marine and having
fun together on the water.
Create work meetups for em-
ployees to bring people to-
gether in watersports activities.
Use Facebook, our
campaign and work
meetups.
brand architecture
23

24. Communications and Messaging
West Marine has a fully integrated marketing
program that includes social media, direct mail,
mobile technology, and traditional and digital
advertising. Their proposition lies in a wide array
of product offerings, friendly and knowledgeable
customer service, and both online and offline
shopping convenience. The company offers its
products to consumers in the marine/boating
industry through its stores, catalog, Internet and
wholesale divisions.
Budgeting/Allocation
In 2014, West Marine’s net sales totaled to
675.75M, while the cost of goods sold were
482.56M. The gross profit was 193.18M, a 0.8%
increase from 2013 (191.64M). Sales have been
driven by increased marketing efforts, a larger
assortment of products, and improved in-store
and online shopping experiences. However,
selling, general and admin expenses amounted
to 188.75M in 2014, as opposed to 175.9M in
2013. This indicates that more of the budget
was spent (+7.3%) than in the previous year on
SG&A. The budget was spent on employee ben-
efit expenses, increased share-based compen-
sations and higher unit buying. As for our cam-
paign, we have been allotted a 100k budget,
which will be spent on promoting the “Better
Together” theme through both traditional and
digital media.
communication, messaging
and budget
24

27. Findings and Insights:
- People enjoy sharing experiences with family
and friends.
- People do not need to own a boat to
participate in water recreation
- Low brand awareness/brand loyalty with the
adventurer archetype
Big Idea:
We aim to promote the concept of community,
which includes family, friends and anyone else
who shares a bond. This led us to the “Better
Together” campaign. Our campaign centers
around the relationships that make life on the
water even more
valuable and memorable. We want to position
West Marine as the source which unites people
and pushes them to realize their greatest
potential when doing things together.
27

29. The purpose of our external cre-
ative strategy is to communicate with
our target market, The Adventurer, by
reaching out to them in the widest and
quickest way possible - through social
media and the Internet. The reason
behind using social media as our main
source of advertising is due to the
wide use of social media with all age
groups and demographics that West
Marine’s current campaign is not reach-
ing.
Through our research we found
that the driving force to participate in
water life is to spend time with others,
inspiring the “Better Together” cam-
paign. This campaign was inspired by
all of the misadventures and mishaps
that occur when spending time with
friends and family. With our campaign,
we plan to show that West Marine is
the best outlet to create memorable
water experiences together with family,
friends and community.
West Marine is currently the
leading specialty shop for life on the
water. A1A wants to broaden this con-
cept by making the brand relatable
to all potential customers without
losing sight of current customers. We
intend to execute this plan through
YouTube, Facebook and Instagram
ads and promotions. The overarching
concept being when it comes to life
on the water, being together is the
best way to go. Our Better Together
concept will also boost sales by en-
couraging the customer’s family and
friends to buy more merchandise in
order to share their experiences.
The social media campaign
will also promote local beach meet-
ups hosted by West Marine in six
specifically chosen major cities. This
idea was inspired by research which
showed Adventurers do not commit
to big purchase items without sam-
pling them beforehand. These meet-
ups will give them, their friends, and
their family a chance to try out prod-
ucts by West Marine, establishing
West Marine as a top tier company
for water life products on their brand
ladder.
External Strategy and Executions
29

30. facebook
Using Facebook advertising
is very important because
it is the most widely used
social media network in
the United States today.
Even with a small budget,
it is possible to reach thou-
sands of people that fit
specific targeting criteria.
With Facebook, we can use
an optimized cost per mille
which shows our ad to the
people which they believe
are the most likely to take
action to it. Facebook does this
by tapping into pages people
like, demographics, and even
activity and websites used off of
Facebook. It also offers an easy
way to share the Youtube video
advertisement, making it shar-
able between the various Face-
book users.
With Facebook we are able to
use a combination of graph-
ics, text, and videos to reach
our customers. With the abil-
ity to share these posts
with a click makes it easier
to reach potential core-
customers family and
friends also. These Face-
book advertisements will
also make it easy to boost
e-commerce or planned
meet-ups with the click of
a button.
30

31. instagram
When interviewing
consumers, we realized that
Instagram is frequently used
by our adventurer audience
for not only socializing, but
for viewing beautiful imagery
and keeping up with brands
they love.
We wish to create a
solid brand message on Insta
by creating cohesive beautiful
imagery that ties into our
Better Together Campaign.
We picked 3 main
topics to cover when upload-
ing instagram photos.
The top posting theme
is images of people “togeth-
er” having fun on the water. In
every image with people, it’s
important to make them have
two or more individuals. This
makes water sports appear
“social”.
Also, images of marine
conservation and cleaning up
our beaches. This is a good
way to promote how West
Marine contributes to both
the environment and promot-
ing the youth boating grant.
The last topic would be
promotional coverage of
our events or merchandise.
But we would limit this cat-
egory as to not seem like
we’re selling something.
Besides uploading
our own content, we will
also use other photos with
the hashtag #WeAreWest-
Marine. This will allow us
to share other users photos
and it also encourages not
only the use of our hashtag
but helps spread awareness
of our brand.
Old instagram in back
compared to our re-vamp
31

32. When interviewing
consumers, the Adventurer
is not the only one using the
internet. Almost everyone re-
searched a topic before buy-
ing and also uses the internet
to compare prices and read
user reviews.
Right now West Marine
doesn’t have a real blog. They
have West Advisor articles but
they are hidden deep down in
their webpage.
We wanted this blog
to found on West Marine’s
main webpage and to cover
a wide range of topics. Broad
topics like “How to choose
a Kayak” to certain product
reviews. This will help drive
traffic and also ease the
shopping process for the
consumer online.
blog
The back photo pictures the
current West Marine articles.
The left pictures one of
Patagonia’s blogs which we
aspire to visually.
This is a mock of West
Marine’s new website look.
The blog would be easily ac-
cessable on the homepage
instead of burried deep in
the website.
32

33. Youtube in-stream adver-
tisements are a great, cost
efficient way to tailor our
campaign to water-activity
enthusiasts. Putting ads
before water-activity re-
lated videos will increase
brand awareness for West
Marine. These videos are
also easily shareable on all
social networks, including
Facebook.
The Youtube video encom-
passes the idea of “Better
Together,” showing how
fun and invigorating life on
the water is when you share
it with others. Clips of the
video will be posted on
Instagram and Facebook
youtube
with links to the full video.
In the description of the
video on YouTube will be
a link back to the West
Marine in order to drive
traffic to the website.
These photos are the storyboard of a West Marine Advertisement. It
shows the humorous struggle of first time paddle boarders.
33

34. A problem that we discov-
ered through our internal research
is that there are many employees
who are not passionate enough
about West Marine or cannot relate
to West Marine’s mission. With no
passion there can be no drive to
improve West Marine’s sales. Our
main goal for our internal campaign
is to inspire employees by provid-
ing them with a mission that they
can relate to -bringing the commu-
nity together, allowing them to fully
immerse themselves into the brand.
In order to do this we will
create a login page on westmarine.
com specifically for employees,
which will lead them to pages that
allow them to see their schedules,
switch shifts with coworkers, and
view an event calendar. The on-
line area will also include message
boards and employee product review
pages. This will create an interactive
community in which employees can
communicate and engage more with
the West Marine website.
We will also be working with
the various affiliates that rent out
West Marine’s products to further
boost our relations with them.
The internal strategy will
intertwine with the external strategy,
offering a competition for the loca-
tions surrounding the cities hosting
the Beach BBQ*. The employees are
an integral factor of our campaign,
these events and revamped website
will help promote team bonding for
the stores, without necessarily tag-
ging them as team building exercis-
es.
Internal strategy and executions
34

35. internal

37. 10 AM ­11:30 PM: Set up
12 PM ­6 PM: Open to the public
12 PM ­6 PM: Rentals available
12 PM ­6 PM: Catering (first come first
serve)
3 PM ­6 PM: Live Music, Activities (water/
non water)
5:30 PM ­6 PM: Last Call for purchases
6 PM ­7 PM: Clean up
The cities chosen to host
the beach event are:
San Francisco, CA
San Diego, CA
New York, New York
Jersey Shore, New Jersey
Miami, Florida
Chicago, Illinois
While promoting the “Better To-
gether” campaign, we will start to pro-
mote a special beach event, from May
to July, with the event taking place
throughout the third week of July.
The beach events will promote
our big idea by bringing together
family and friends while meeting new
people. Food will be provided via local
catering services, along with live music
and locally hired DJ’s in order to keep
with our theme of community. Non-
watersport equipment, such as volley-
ball nets and frisbees, will be provided
for entertainment while attendees are
not on the water. This event will also
be dog friendly because we view dogs
as a part of the family, so the events
will need to be hosted at dog­-friendly
locations. We will provide water bowls,
balls and other toys for four­-legged
friends. Water sport equipment will be
available to sample, provided by
rental affiliates who buy from West
Marine.
West Marine will sell products
the customers have sampled at the
event which will be on sale for a dis-
counted price. If guests choose not to
purchase any West Marine products
at the the event, they will be given a
coupon for a discounted purchase that
they can use at their local West Marine
store.
Beach Event
37

39. The internal campaign will in-
clude the “Captain’s Log”. This will be a
separate login page and landing site for
the employees to access their individual
schedules and view the event calendar.
There will also be an online fo-
rum for West Marine employees to talk
to one another and access information
or tips on certain products they might
not know about. This will not be a sepa-
rate website, but a branch of the exist-
ing West Marine website. By catering to
employees needs are, employee reten-
tion rates will go up along with ratings
of interactions and reviews between
employees and customers.
The Event Calendar will show
upcoming West Marine exclusive events
for the employees. For example, a kay-
ak excursion, where employees will be
able to sample out their new kayaks and
be better equipped to handle customers
and give them a good customer service
experience. Events can be controlled by
West Marine as a whole or micro-man-
aged depending on store-to-store needs.
The dates and times for the beach
event will also be available to the par-
ticipating stores on this event calendar.
The store that has the most percentage
of employees attending their local beach
event will be awarded a day trip spon-
sored by West Marine. These day trips
will represent how being together is bet-
ter when it comes to life on the water.
The Captain’s Log

40. media plan and budget
social media
total
Facebook: $10,000
May - July to advertise beach event
Youtube: $20,000
In-stream advertisements are $0.10 per view and West Marine
will only pay if the viewer watches the entire ad.
Instagram: No Cost, owned media
We will be using the West Marine account to post pictures
and video clips on Instagram rather than paying for advertise-
ments
West Marine’s Revamped Website: $1000 - $2000
Live Music from local disc jockey/local band: $4500
$150 per hour x 6 cities (Five hours total, three hours
of music, two hours for travel, setup and takedown)
Catering: $24,000
$20/person x 200 = $4000 x 6 cities = $24,000
Research showed the average for catering services is
about $20 per plate. We multiplied this by 200 guests
as an estimate and then multiplied by the number of
cities in which we will host these events.
Non-Water Activities: ~$900
Cost for providing volleyball equipment and frisbees
for off-water entertainment + Hidden Costs: $5000
Beach BBQ Competition Prize: $3000 per winning
store x (6 locations) = $18,000
beach BBQ
$52,400
$32,000
$84,400
40

41. summary
West Marine wants to
expand toward a younger tar-
get audience but lacks brand
recognition among them. The
call for unity resonates with
a generation that is partial to
cause-related marketing and
A1A hones in through our
“Better Together” campaign.
The promotion of social
media posts and events will
acquire more Adventurers,
who are comparatively more
tech-savvy than the existing
audience, and engage with
them at level to which they
are already accustomed. Blogs
would further engage with
the audience and decrease
the bounce rate while
providing value. The Beach
BBQ fleshes out West Ma-
rine outside of the store,
increases brand awareness
and reputation, and show-
cases more West Marine
products.
Through our Cap-
tain’s Log, internal stake-
holders are brought on
board with our unity theme,
ensuring a consistent mes-
sage throughout West Ma-
rine. Employees are further
incentivized through com-
pany events whose atten-
dance may be rewarded
with trips.
Upon monitoring
the success of different
localized paid social media
ads, West Marine may bet-
ter see which regions are
more profitable and which
require further attention.
Through user feedback
on blogs and events, the
out-of-store campaigns
may be better tailored for
future direction.
41