Sept 5, 2023

Brunswick Corporation’s community platform, Ripl, announced on August 31^st, that it has surpassed 10,000 members. The community, which launched in late 2020, is designed to create an open forum for new and experienced boaters to connect, consume boating content through Brunswick’s brand influencers and partners, share their thoughts with the industry’s leading research & development teams, and have opportunities to win exclusive member experiences and product giveaways.

“We initially launched Ripl as an opportunity to create a direct connection point between Brunswick’s portfolio of 60+ marine brands and the consumer, and we’re ecstatic that the community has been so well-received to surpass 10,000 members in a short timeframe,” said Lauren Beckstedt, Chief Marketing Officer, Brunswick Corporation. “As part of Brunswick’s overall Next Wave strategy, we’re focused on increasing on-water participation among diverse audiences and the next generation, and through Ripl, we’ve been able to better identify what is important to our target audiences, and tailor our strategies, product development and future campaigns based on direct insights from the Ripl community.”  

In support of Brunswick’s Next Wave strategy, Ripl is focused on engaging the next generation of boaters. Currently, 24 percent of Ripl members are women and 44 percent of members fall within the ages of 35 to 54 – a testament of the Ripl community and how the platform is working to attract more diverse audiences and first-time boaters. Additionally, more than 50 percent of the Ripl community is comprised of boat owners and boat club members and, those interested in participating in recreational boating in the near future and looking to learn more.

Over the past three years Ripl is proud to have developed a series of experiences and curated content for its members. Trip giveaways are a way for Ripl to connect directly with their members in a unique way at locations with a thriving boating culture or, to a boating-related event. Recent trip giveaways have included:

• Weekend trip to Lake St Clair, Michigan to go fishing with Bassmaster Classic Winner, Jeff Gustafson – in partnership with Lund Boats. 
• Weekend trip to experience a summer in Chicago watching the Fireworks from the water – in partnership with Freedom Boat Club.  
• Weekend Trip to see Rodney Atkins perform on the water in Orange Beach, Alabama – in partnership with Lowe Boats.

 
Ripl is also thrilled to partner with professionals and hobby-ists alike to share their experiences on the water. Recent contributors on the Ripl Hub include:

• Brian Latimer, Professional Bass Angler has contributed content on tips for fishing in unknown waters, catching your first bass, how to know which line size to use and bait box favorites.
• Jenny Anderson, @Girlof10000Lakes on Instagram is a recent contributor and is in the process of sharing a series on Fishing with Kids.
• Ginny Yurich, @1000HoursOutside on Instagram recently did a podcast with Cecil Cohn, President of Freedom Boat Club which was sponsored by Ripl. You can also expect to see contributions from them on the Ripl Hub.   

 
“It’s truly been an incredible experience to build a strong foundation for this community who share a passion for the on-water lifestyle,” continued Beckstedt. “We look forward to building on our positive momentum and continuing to provide content and experiences that benefit our members.”