Staff Writer
The words "Maine lobster" and "California wine" evoke images of succulent seafood dishes and quality vineyards.
A concerted marketing effort and targeted advertising have created that response. Maine's boatbuilders hope to achieve the same effect.
Already global players at the top end of the boating market, Maine yards are now trying to increase their market share, banding together to sell Maine-built boats by establishing a brand identity associated with high-quality craftsmanship.
The effort -- unique among U.S. builders -- is taking Maine's industry abroad as it searches for new markets. China, for instance, is an emerging market with its newly wealthy upper class, and Maine boatbuilders traveled there in April to pitch the Maine brand.
Maine's boatbuilders face the fact that New Zealand, Germany and other top boatbuilding nations have long promoted their nation's boats at trade shows around the world.
For years, Maine's 73 boatyards, most of which are small, family-run businesses with limited marketing budgets, have been out-marketed, out-spent and overmatched, said Tim Hodgdon of Hodgdon Yachts of East Boothbay.
"Little Maine businesses are up against the organized and subsidized countries of the world," he said.
Maine boatbuilders have long operated in isolation. That began to change in 2005, when a group of 18 Maine boatbuilders decided that they'd be more competitive if they cooperated and worked with the state and federal government to leverage resources.
They established Maine Built Boats Inc. The nonprofit now has more than 50 members paying annual dues based on the size of their work forces. A yard with three employees, for example, pays $250 a year.
The organization played a critical role in helping Maine win a three-year, $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop a regional economic strategy centered on advanced composite materials and boatbuilding. The money will go toward a range of activities, such as research and development and worker training.
Nearly $2 million will be spent on marketing efforts led by Maine Built Boats, the Maine Marine Trade Association and the Maine Composites Alliance. Beginning this summer, Maine Built Boats plans to start running ads in international yachting magazines
The group has a Web site (www.mainebuiltboats.com), a slogan, "World Class Boats on the Cutting Edge," and one employee, executive director Paul Rich, who manages an annual budget of about $80,000.
While it's too early to know whether the branding effort is paying off, John Kachmar, of Wilbur Yachts in Southwest Harbor, says he believes it's worth pursuing because it allows Maine boatyards to be more efficient with their marketing dollars.
At international boats shows, for example, Maine boatbuilders are able to share the cost of renting booth space. A booth at the world's premier show, the Monaco Yacht Show, for example, costs $20,000.
"My guts tell me it's working," Kachmar said. "We are getting more publicity, attending more boat shows and meeting more people."
The boatbuilders' April trip to the China International Boat Show in Shanghai offered a chance to showcase their new marketing effort. They scored points just by showing up.
The nine-member Maine group turned out to be the entire U.S. delegation on the trip, which was sponsored by the U.S. Commerce Department. Boatbuilders from around the country had been invited, but none attended.
As a result, the Mainers were given seats at the head table during the show's opening ceremonies, feted with seven-course dinners and had easy access to senior government officials.
"They really rolled it out," Kachmar said. "We were treated like VIPs."
But the Mainers are starting at a big disadvantage.
Because European boat makers have been promoting their high-end yachts in China for several years, the Chinese believe that Europeans produce better boats than Americans,...
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