The year we got furious
The year 2005 saw the horse Giacomo beat all comers in the Kentucky Derby, the birth of a little video-sharing website called YouTube, and entrepreneur Scott Saunders acquiring a little-known Florida Keys-based water sports company that he thought needed a push in the right direction. He felt that with the proper people in place, Fury Catamarans had the potential for greatness.
Digging deeper
In order to provide smart business solutions, you’ve got to get to know the business. The Fury team took us on as their business consultants and agency of record in a concerted effort to take the company to places it has never been. Together with Fury management, we searched for and identified every strength and weakness to gain a wider understanding of what needed to be done. We reviewed online/offline customer engagements, street-level activity, operational workflows, and overall brand development and perception studies. We utilized “secret shoppers” to find out what the consumer experience was all about and how we could make it better. We even had some of our team run the sales kiosks. We embedded ourselves into every aspect of the business to fully understand what it would take to ensure that Fury Water Adventures would enjoy smooth sailing for years to come.
Changing public perception
Based on surveys that we conducted, we discovered that Fury Catamarans had very little in the way of brand awareness. The next logical step was to formulate a new rebranding campaign to correct this. Fury Catamarans became Fury Water Adventures. New vessels were purchased and existing vessels underwent significant upgrades. A new logo was designed and prominently placed on their watercraft, sales kiosks, and on the stylish new uniforms the crew and staff were provided. All of this signaled the beginning of a much bigger brand identity strategy.
One adventure does not fit all
In collaboration with the Fury team, a multitude of new adventure packages were developed aimed at broadening their customer base. Now there was something for everyone. High-energy adrenaline junkies, laid-back sunset gazers, kids and everyone in between could find a Fury Water Adventure tailored to them.
All hands on deck
Out-of-home efforts were a key component to the overall marketing approach, with strategically placed billboards that grabbed the attention of motorists traveling the famed Overseas Highway along with secured rack card placements at highly frequented hotels, landmarks, and restaurants. Visitors landing at Key West International Airport were made aware of the Fury brand with engaging video walls. The campaign also focused on a street-level approach with a complete redesign of their outside sales outlets. Eventually, Fury began to gain a top-of-mind awareness not just among hotel concierges but among locals and visitors from all over the world.
Full speed ahead
In time, Fury’s brand recognition began to take hold. In addition to all the other facets of the campaign, highly targeted Miami TV spots, promoted posts, and banner ads yielded big returns. In the social sphere, their channels were optimized, resulting in droves of new fans and followers eager to learn more about Fury.
A prelude to adventure
A new website was built that was fully responsive, highly informative, and just plain beautiful to look at. Understanding that Fury is an experiential business, we emphasized the importance of putting the customer “there,” in a virtual sense, by leading with gorgeous, high-def visuals. Never ones to get complacent, we decided to do a second rebranding of Fury in 2015 that included, among other things, a refresh of their logo.
This dog can hunt
It’s been over a decade since BlackDog and Fury Water Adventures joined forces, and we couldn’t have picked a better partner to do business with. Fury’s mission to deliver the most amazing bucket-list experiences makes our job a heck of a lot easier. Currently, Fury Water Adventures is the #1 water sports company in the US and a fixture in the minds of those looking to adventure in the island paradise of Key West. It all goes to show that BlackDog is a brand’s best friend!
So, how did we really do?
BlackDog strives to help our clients make each year better than the previous, and working with a great partner like Fury allows us to do just that. Every year since partnering with BlackDog, a variety of Fury KPIs have seen continuous year-over-year growth. Some of these metrics include gross revenue, website traffic, call center leads, e-commerce conversion rates, advertising reach, and visibility.
