PR for the Fish?
Category: Blog - May 22, 2008
As I sat in a boat on Leech Lake, bundled in five layers of clothes, rain gear and mittens, I wondered if the Minnesota DNR, or the state legislature, ever seriously entertained the idea of pushing back the fishing opener in an attempt to appeal to casual fishermen not keen on dodging icebergs and snow flakes during the annual fishing opener. One would think if we were actually fishing in open water with temperatures above freezing it would help the resort owners, bait shops and the rest of the state that relies on tourism and others' enjoyment of the outdoors.
For years the DNR has been trying to encourage Minnesotans and out-of-state visitors to hit the lakes and cast a line with hopes of boosting the number of people buying a license and enjoying the outdoors. They've tried direct mailings, advertising campaigns and electronic countdown clocks until the opener. But I don't think a flashing neon countdown clock is going to convince me, or the dad looking to take his son fishing, to head up north for the opener and brave the snow, 20 degree temperatures and partially frozen lakes to catch Mr. Walleye.
As a result of this year's weather, newscasts leading up to the fishing opener reported on the ice still covering northern Minnesota lakes while resort owners reported cancellations - not great PR for the in-state friends of the outdoors, and definitely not a warm invitation for the out-of-state to folks. So, why not move the opener back a week or two and build off the current PR (and advertising) campaign around it? While there are no guarantees the weather will be better a couple of weeks later, at least there's a better chance. Plus, the fish are a week bigger, right? It would give the DNR and the state a good reason to get people truly excited about being outdoors and disconnecting from their busy lives, which is partially blamed for the decline in fishing.
Of course, there are no guarantees the later date would boost the sale of fishing licenses, but neither is a countdown clock to icebergs and the possibility of shoveling snow out of your boat.
Matt Hansen
Account Supervisor
Javascript is required to add comments.