September 2003

The Lure of Fishing

By Jennifer Stewart Kornegay

The Greater Alabama Council's "Get Hooked on Scouting" campaign reels in new youth members.

• Sharing a Winning Idea
• Giving Something Back
• 30,353 Keys to Success

For its annual fall recruiting campaign, the Birmingham-based Greater Alabama Council two years ago came up with an approach that has reeled in boys by the thousands.

"Get Hooked on Scouting" takes advantage of the region's interest in fishing and of special resources provided by a generous supporter to offer Scouting to boys and their families in a fun and exciting way.

In two years, the campaign has produced membership growth of 7 percent in Cub Scouting and 5 percent in Boy Scouting. In 2002 (the campaign's second year), as a direct result of the "Get Hooked on Scouting" effort, more than 10,000 new Scouts were added in the 22 counties served by the council.

The FISH that caught Scouts

After deciding that fishing was the ideal tie-in for a recruiting campaign, the council created an acronym, FISH ("Finding Integrity, Strength, and Honor through Scouting"), to promote the theme. And, thanks to area businessman Jim Stephens, who served as the council's chairman of the board, each new recruit received a special edition Excalibur fishing lure stamped with the words "Hooked on Scouting" [see sidebar].

Using a single theme and slogan played a big part in the campaign's success. Previously, School Night for Scouting recruitment programs, held at local schools, focused on what Scouting is, why it is fun (for the kids), and why its values are important (for the parents). But there was no unifying factor, no catchy phrase or snappy acronym, and most important, no cool giveaway, like the "Hooked on Scouting" lure.

"Just like a fishing lure, you cast [the Scouting program] out, and it comes back to you, sometimes with a fish, sometimes without," said Ronnie W. Holmes, council Scout executive, in explaining why fishing references work well for a campaign aimed at recruiting new members.

"We keep casting it out with confidence, hope, and expectations that we will get results—and 'Hooked on Scouting' has produced more results, more excitement, and more new Scouts than any other recruitment program we have used."

The results show "how this campaign has been a tremendous success," Holmes noted. "It really lit things up for us in terms of getting more boys involved in Scouting, but it also opened up a lot of doors with corporations and allowed us to get a lot more people involved in and supporting Boy Scouts. We now have a natural tie-in with the fishing industry, boating industry, and the sporting goods business that allows us some great opportunities for sponsorships and other ventures."

'Let's go fishing!'

To top off the recruiting campaign with an immediate outdoor experience for new Cub Scouts and parents, the council held four New Cub Scout/Parent Weekends at a lake at Oak Mountain State Park in Birmingham in the early fall. Overnight camp-outs were combined with a fishing tournament for new recruits and previously registered Cub Scouts and parents.

More than 400 Scouts and family members were on hand for the September 21 event. On a warm Saturday morning, John Giddens, the Shelby District activity director and Pack 367 den leader, got the day started and the kids fired up with his booming voice and energy.

"We are so excited that you are here," he announced. "And we are so excited about Scouting. Now let's go fishing!"

Boys with tackle boxes and fishing rods in hand and a dad or mom in tow, headed toward the water, determined to win the new fishing poles awarded for "biggest fish" and "most fish caught."

"Will it bite me?" 7-year-old Cole Rickard asked his father as he tentatively took a worm and followed his dad's instructions for baiting a hook.

"No, it won't," Bryon Rickard assured his new Tiger Cub. "We've both been waiting for this for a long time," he told a visitor in noting that the weekend was Cole's first time fishing.

Father and son were interested in Scouting before the new campaign, and the fishing theme added to its appeal. "'Get Hooked on Scouting' is a great slogan," Bryon said. "It really fits the whole outdoor idea of the program."

Although he hadn't caught any fish, Cole said he was happy. "I want to be a Boy Scout so I can learn stuff and have fun with other kids," he said. "I don't mind not catching fish." A visitor pointed out what a good sport he was. Cole just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "That's what being a Boy Scout is all about."

Other new Tiger Cubs, like Jamie McCormick, from Pack 120 in Pleasant Grove, Ala., were equally positive. "We haven't had any luck yet," announced Jamie's dad, Rick McCormick, "but we're staying until we catch something."

"But Dad," Jamie protested, "we have caught some stuff—a ton of leaves!"

'Pretty cool'

As the September fishing weekend wound down, a scream of happiness followed by laughter and more yelling floated across the calm, green lake as Webelos Scout Brandon Keel, from Pack 367 in Alabaster, Ala., hooked a good-size bass on his Scouting lure.

"It was a huge bass," a wide-eyed Brandon said, using his hands to describe his catch. "But I got him pretty easy; he didn't fight too hard."

Brandon was already a Webelos Scout, but he used the campaign to get several of his buddies involved. "I've got about seven of my good friends in Scouts now," he said. "That's pretty cool."

Scout Executive Ronnie Holmes also witnessed something "pretty cool" at the event.

"I just saw a boy catch his first fish ever, using his 'Hooked on Scouting' lure," he said. "There is no way to describe how happy and proud that makes a child feel."

Freelance writer Jennifer Stewart Kornegay lives in Montgomery, Ala.

Sharing a Winning Idea The Alabama Area Council's "Hooked on Scouting" campaign has received a 2002 National President's Award for Marketing Excellence, honored by the BSA as the "Best Marketing Campaign" for larger councils. Even before receiving the award last spring, however, the council made its winning formula available to the more than 300 other local Scout councils. During 2002, 10 councils implemented the "Hooked on Scouting" theme into their fall recruitment effort, with additional councils looking to get "Hooked on Scouting" in 2003. Below are two examples of how councils adapted the concept: Thanks to funding from ChemTreat Inc., the Robert E. Lee Council in Richmond, Va., was able to distribute 80,000 school fliers, 3,000 "Hooked on Scouting" fishing lures, 600 school night packets, 1,000 posters, 125 yard signs/frames, 200 Join Scouting CDs, and other recruiting materials. In the 24 counties and four municipalities served by the council, more than 180 school nights were held. The result was more than 2,700 new youth members (compared to 2,200 youth in 2001) and several hundred new adult volunteers. The Westchester-Putnam Council, Hawthorne, N.Y., used "Get Hooked on Scouting" for its 2003 spring recruiting campaign. Fishing lures were awarded to Scouts or Venturers who recruited a new member and also to the new recruit. Those recruiting three new members also received a new rod and reel. The campaign finished in June with a day of fishing at Clear Lake Scout Reservation in Putnam Valley, N.Y.

Giving Something Back In explaining the success of the "Get Hooked on Scouting" campaign, Greater Alabama Council Scout Executive Ronnie W. Holmes has special praise for Jim Stephens, the council's past board chairman, who made it possible for the council to give away fishing lures to new recruits. Stephens is chairman and president of EBSCO Industries, a diversified corporation headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. A number of EBSCO's businesses serve the hunting and fishing industry, including the world's largest manufacturer of fishing lures. A recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Stephens considers earning Scouting's highest rank as among his most important life achievements, and he welcomed an opportunity to give something back to Scouting. "I thoroughly enjoyed my Scouting experience, which has always meant a lot to me," Stephens explained, "and the council wants to extend a similar opportunity to every kid in every community." When Scout Executive Holmes approached him with the "Get Hooked on Scouting" idea, Stephens agreed to donate the lures to be used as incentive items. "The essence of Scouting is the outdoors," Stephens said, "and fishing is certainly one of those experiences. Fishing has always been a popular outdoor pastime in the Southeast, and recently interest seems to have increased as people look back to simpler things. "I definitely had the resources at my disposal to make a contribution. Being a manufacturer and marketer of fishing lures, we encourage fishing as a hobby, so helping the Scouts in this way was natural." Stephens also helped enlist Pradco-sponsored fishing celebrities Bill Dance, Jimmy Houston, and Mike Echols, who made television public service announcements promoting the campaign. —J.S.K.

30,353 Keys to Success Coming up with a good theme and slogan was just the beginning of the Greater Alabama Council's "Get Hooked On Scouting" recruitment campaign. Also needed were the efforts of 30,353 eager, hardworking volunteers. "When our volunteers and staff members walk into a classroom with a fishing pole and a 'Hooked on Scouting' lure, the children start saying, 'Let's go fishing!' said Scout Executive Ronnie Holmes. "We tell them, 'In two weeks we will have a camp-out and fishing tournament, and we have one of these fishing lures for you when you bring your parents back to school tonight and join Scouting.' Their eyes and faces light up with excitement, and boy, do they come back! "But what is crucial to all this are the volunteers who present the idea to the kids and their parents and then show them what Scouting is all about at the fishing weekends." Holmes and the members of the council marketing committee credit the volunteers' enthusiasm with the campaign's overwhelming success. In a publicity flier, council volunteers were described as "the boat" that carries the other parts of the program. Another key element in the campaign was the cooperation of the local school systems, which welcome Scout recruiting visits. "Our relationships with the schools and educators are vital," Holmes said. "Without them, the campaign wouldn't have worked." —J.S.K.

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