AQUA LUNG PRODUCT LAUNCH:
The next evolution of Aqua Lung’s top of the line Legend regulator is coming out. Their science of advanced breathing technology revolutionized the industry. When you dive with a Legend, you are a ‘100% complete diver’. The goal with this launch is to broaden their consumer base and engage with casual and dedicated scuba divers worldwide, in all markets: primarily North America & Europe.
SOURCE: Fast Facts: Recreational Scuba Diving and Snorkeling 2018 (https://www.dema.org/) PADI (https://www.padi.com/)
SOURCES: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2025 (https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/), Global Scuba Diving Equipment Market Report 2018-2022 (https://www.prnewswire.com/) Top Factors Driving the Global Scuba Diving Equipment Market | Technavio (https://www.businesswire.com/) The Dive Lab: Deep Dive Into Research (https://thedivelab.dan.org/) PADI (https://www.padi.com/)
CAMPAIGN #1: BREATHE EASY
THE IDEA:
Aqua Lung founded the sport of diving over 75 years ago and continues to pioneer innovative gear, leading it’s industry. With this new model of the Legend regulator, Aqua Lung wants to remind dedicated consumers why they have chosen the brand’s gear in the past. At the same time, engaging casual divers, newcomers and those just starting to think about diving. Let’s subtly make nod to Aqua Lung’s founder (the father of modern day scuba diving) and acknowledge the innovation they’ve brought to the game. It’s time to take the guess work out of buying dive gear because their quality has past the test of time over and over again. This passion for safety, durability and design while maintaining revolutionary innovation means divers can breathe easy. Aqua Lung has already tested every possibility and examined every detail. BREATHE EASY. Aqua Lung has you covered, you’re diving with a Legend.
THE MESSAGING: Crafted by a legend. Inspired by exploration. Tested by time. So, you can……BREATHE EASY
THE CREATIVE:
Aqua Lung has mastered their products, so let’s give the consumer an experience. To do this, let’s flip the normal POV (point of view) reminding the scuba lover that they want to be in the water. Tapping into the divers memories of all the fun they’v experienced off shore. To start, let’s utilize design elements to break out from the pack. In the design below the stark contrast of black to the wondrously colored coral reefs and exotic kelp forests is the perfect imagery. It is eye catching, reminds divers of all the beautiful spots they’ve been before and gives those who haven’t a glimpse of what magical places lie just below the surface ready for exploration. This visual is striking compared to anything else currently in print for the dive industry. To make the advertisements more nostalgic each region will have customized imagery based on the diving in their area. For example, images from Port Hardy, British Columbia, to Puget Sound; Monterey, California, to the Channel Islands; and Isla Guadalupe to the famous Arch at Cabo’s Land’s End and more, will be used for placements on the West Coast of the U.S.
As we know, in the launching of any new product in this age of social media, digital marketing and experiential advertising, to truly stand out you must leverage all three.
THE DIGITAL:
Google ads litter every page on every website these days. Most of the time, they have nothing to do with the users interests or put them in a echo chamber by highlighting things they’ve just purchased on Amazon. However, for the best ROI (return on investment) from advertising dollars in the digital space, placements and creative should be on relevant outlets while targeted. Selecting those outlets and placements is the easy part. The challenge is how do we grab the consumers’ attention in the few seconds we have, before they click the X button? These short form video ads that pop up, with the sounds and visuals as if user is exploring the ocean are the answer. They are engaging, beautiful and made specifically for each region. Users in different regions will get an authentic experience because the footage will reflect their local dive spots.
THE UX/UI:
How does the ad work? What does the user experience? When the user is browsing the site with the current digital ad placed, the screen will dim and the video will slide into place from the left side of the screen. A sound track of ocean sounds like corresponding marine life and breathing through a regulator, will begin. As the video plays, the user will experience the first hand POV of a scuba diver. The copy will animate across the mask of the diver (aka user) as they continue to move through the water. Finally, as BREATHE EASY appears the diver will let out one last exhale. The hold screen will click through to a shoppable site, where the new Legend regulator is sold. Engaging, experiential and explorative, a little something for everyone.
THE BILLBOARDS:
These digital billboards are similar to the digital ad buys above. On a larger than life scale, they give the consumer the opportunity to experience the magical world beneath the surface, in unexpected places. This up close peek into the wondrous world these magnificent creatures inhabit, is breathtaking, educational and captivating, all at the same time. When walking past these digital billboards the consumer feels smaller, similar to a diver in open water, reminding them of the power and scale of the ocean which covers 71% of the Earth’s surface. Filmed in a similar style to Blue Planet and the IMAX, these videos are so immersive everyone will stop and watch for a bit. The ad would rotate through some of the best dive spots in the world, pausing in between to reveal the tagline “Breathe Easy”. Not only does the image stand in contrast to its surrounding, but the colors pop vividly in comparison to the black on the billboards themselves. Striking from afar and captivating up close, these billboards provide a glimpose into uncharted territory for most, encouraging them to dive with a legend.
THE EXPERIENTIAL:
Consumers want brands to authentically communicate through experiences. Experiential marketing is a growing trend which involves marketing a product to consumers through engaging experiences while creating an emotional attachment to the product. Since, Aqua Lung is synonymous with diving, and is the device that made it possible, we can make the impossible possible again. Let’s be their first and last dive buddy by providing an immersive dive experience without ever leaving the shore.
THE ACTIVATION:
THE IDEA: Bring the consumer a sensory immersive experience to test out the new regulator, build brand recognition and excitement for the sport of scuba diving.
THE WHERE: This activation can take place in any dive shop, or partner with aquariums and science centers in key markets. The latter will broaden the brand’s reach.
THE HOW: The execution can be as easy as setting up a regulator, an inexpensive virtual reality headset and noise canceling headphones. Or, Aqua Lung could create the on land “dive experience” and go all in. They could build a room (think double size of a phone booth) with temp regulation, audio, VR or use a sensory deprivation chamber to achieve the feeling of being in the ocean. There is an opportunity for a social media aspect to this, whether it is catching reactions to the experience, such as faces/jumping if a shark swam by, or designing the experience to be photographed like the ice cream museum in Los Angeles was, creating an instagram destination. “Do it for the gram”.
CAMPAIGN #2: Join the Legacy
THE IDEA: It’s not every day, decade or even century that a legend is born. Aqua Lung was born out of visionary innovation by a man who is truly considered a legend, the creator of modern day scuba diving, Jacques Cousteau. He was an explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher who studied the sea and all forms of life in water. Cousteau dedicated his life to the ocean. Let’s leverage this revolutionary history of pioneering the sport of diving like no one else in the industry can. As the first, Aqua Lung started out ahead, as the best they continue to lead the industry in everything they produce. They are dedicated to quality, research and testing which leads to their ground breaking advancements in the design, comfort, safety and technology of their gear. A name synonymous with scuba, that has conquered the test of time while exploring new depths and inspiring people to “dive in”. There is no company like it, so let’s invite consumers to be a part of scuba history.
THE MESSAGING: Visionaries become legends. Legends create legacies. Legacies stand the test of time. Join our LEGACY.
THE CREATIVE: Leveraging the Legacy. For this campaign to be successful the creative is really key. Utilizing the images from Aqua Lung’s vault of historic dive moments to execute videos for any platform. They showcase the rich history of Aqua Lung and diving. Starting with iconic imagery of Jacques Cousteau and slower beat music, the pictures would layer through flipbook-esque as the music gains momentum. From the beginning to now, with the voiceover “Visionaries become legends. Legend build legacies. Legacies stand the test of time”, ending in an amazing clip of a diver using the Legend regulator in one of the most beautiful locations in the world. After the diver exhales loudly through the regulator and swims off, the tagline JOIN OUR LEGACY appears the rest fades to black with the text holding in white till the ad cuts. This type of ad has a longtime standing success rate in sports, yet hasn’t made its way to the outdoor/extreme realm.
