Our work

Samboat: The Below Deck effect

Sailing has long been associated as an activity reserved exclusively for the wealthy 1%. Described as “the Airbnb of boating”, SamBoat is the fastest-growing global platform for boat rental, on a mission to inspire adventure and get more people out on the water.

Whether a boating novice or an experienced sailor, SamBoat believes that everyone should be able to find the boat that suits them. To drive customer bookings and raise awareness of SamBoat in the UK, Diffusion developed a campaign that would make sailing mainstream by tapping into relevant cultural trends.

Insight & Idea

Capitalising on the pop culture phenomenon of TV show Below Deck ahead of the summer season, Diffusion worked with SamBoat to analyse their own data and identify key trends around the time of the show’s launch. Alongside this, and to celebrate the launch, we created a series of ‘Below Deck Mediterranean-inspired’ boat rentals, available for customers to book on the SamBoat website. Feature content was also developed, showcasing the breadth of Below Deck inspired boats available, providing a call to action to drive bookings and reinforcing our message around accessibility. By tapping into Below Deck we were able to extend our campaign beyond just the travel pages and into mainstream consumer media.

To amplify the campaign further, Diffusion also secured media for both group and individual press trips, enabling journalists to experience SamBoat rentals first-hand and see for themselves how accessible boating can be. Diffusion managed the press trips from start to finish, developing detailed itineraries and providing on the ground support, ensuring that SamBoat’s key messages were clearly communicated to press on board and reflected in the resulting coverage.

Impact & Action

Over the six-month campaign, coverage was secured in 18 national and consumer publications including The Sun, the i, the Daily Express, the Daily Mail and Country & Town House.