Nov 27, 2018

It pays to dream. Travis Christ of Charleston, South Carolina is the winner of Volvo Penta of the America’s Boating Dreams contest, a social media promotion in which customers posted stories of their dreams and aspirations of spending time on the water.
 
At a celebration at Duncan’s Boats last month, Volvo Penta representatives presented Christ with his prize, a new Chevrolet Silverado, while the West Ashley High School Marching Band performed.   
 
“Volvo Penta is proud of the role we play in creating lasting memories on the water for our customers,” said Ron Huibers, president of Volvo Penta of the Americas. “It’s one of the things we love about our jobs, tying into our Easy Boating initiative – to make boating easier and more accessible for people to enjoy.”
 
To capture and share stories of how their customers enjoy and envision using their boats, Volvo Penta launched its inaugural Boating Dreams social media contest in March 2018 in the United States. If they had dreams of navigating the high seas, cruising along a quiet canal or snorkeling in the crystal-clear Caribbean waters, Volvo Penta wanted to hear about it. To qualify, customers had to complete an online form and submit their stories in 500 words or less at www.volvopenta.us/shareyourdream. They were then entered in a drawing to win the Chevrolet Silverado, courtesy of General Motors. A total of 223 people submitted their stories, videos and images, sharing their dreams of future family excursions, thrill-induced days on the water and even aspirations to be married on a Volvo Penta boat.
 
Christ’s Regal 28, powered by a Volvo Penta V8-350, gave him the ability to submit his Boating Dreams entry. His name was selected in the drawing held earlier this month. In his entry, Christ explained how the sheer joy of boating has shaped his family’s time together. It opened new ways for them to connect with each other and new friends as well.
 
“We’re so pleased that we chose to invest in a boat and add that unexpected dimension to our lives,” said Christ in his Boating Dreams submission. “We’re looking forward to years of unexplored ideas and opportunities to bring our family and friends closer together in ways that we didn’t think were possible, thanks to Volvo Penta.”
 
Duncan’s Boats, a Volvo Penta dealer in the North Charleston area, promoted the Boating Dreams contest with banners and displays in the store, encouraging their customers to enter the contest. Christ’s submission, and others, can be viewed at www.volvopenta.us/shareyourdream.
 
The contest was supported by targeted social media outreach, displays in Volvo Penta dealerships, direct-mail, paid advertising and media relations. It has proved to be one of Volvo Penta’s most successful social media promotions yet, engaging 80,000 people with 4.3 million impressions on social media channels.