Sail the world for €50?

[Sailing NADA]

Hi there!
This will be my first post on the forum and the reason why will be a very short question:
Would you buy a piece of boat to promote your brand on? Or more detailed: Would you put your brand or photograph on a sailboat that is going to sail around the world and as we go, make a video series about the journey?


This idea comes from my early dream to sail the globe and experience the beauty of nature at it's fullest. Me and my girlfriend are planning and working to achieve this goal. This would be one of the ideas we have to, in some extend, let people, ideas or companies travel with us along the way.



We are enormously curious about what the sailing community thinks about this idea and would love to read your thoughts


Cheers, Nick & Amber

[Mike OReilly]

Soooo... like so many other tuber sailors?



Most with any success manage to get sponsors which they then flog to their viewers. It's a model that works for a few.

[StuM]

"going to" ? No way.



Until you've got a following for your videos, you'll have a hard job negotiating any sponsorship deals. The few who make it work have a demonstrable product with evidence of exposure of products.


And the only companies likely to be interested would be ones with an international market.


But don't let that stop you, go and pitch your idea to lots of potential sponsors. That will give more accurate information that asking the people here, very few of whom fall into your target group.

[Dsanduril]

And not to put too fine a point on it, but it seems help in creating a successful channel if your girlfriend likes to wear skimpy clothes and looks appealing doing so

[Chili Palmer]

Coming from a non-sailor (hopefully we can move next year) and a YouTube fan - you need to focus on one specific area of sailing (i.e. your niche market) yet work in all aspects of sailing (bad times, boat work, etc.) into the videos so you can appeal to the mass market.

I don't know of any YouTubers that have followed the model your planning - as in promoting your brand first then trying to get viewers. Most of them started filming and then got sponsors.

I say go for it and good luck...

[TravelinLight]

I will say I really appreciate how "Free Range Sailing" built their presence and following. They established themselves well before they set up a Patreon account. It is not about bikinis and tan lines. Every episode has something to learn about sailing, boat maintenance, living off the land or history.

I really hate, and I know I am a grumpy old man, a new channel with first video being the "boat tour" and begging for people to support their dream of sailing the world with zero content or value add.

To the original poster, what company has an international presence that will be viable to the places you visit or the people who may subscribe to your channel? What value do you bring to the consumer as far as "What do I get" out of watching your videos.

[jim King]

I'm not sure if the market is already flooded on YouTube with bloggers showing their latest sailing location and adventures. Most of those successful ones started their blog for free and after building up a generous following started getting patrons to pay for view. Ditto with sponsors willing to pay for their sailing exploits with an occasional flash of products. Or are you thinking of putting an add on a spinnaker or on the side of your hull like a sailing bill board??

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Sailing NADA

Hi there!
This will be my first post on the forum and the reason why will be a very short question:
Would you buy a piece of boat to promote your brand on? Or more detailed: Would you put your brand or photograph on a sailboat that is going to sail around the world and as we go, make a video series about the journey?


This idea comes from my early dream to sail the globe and experience the beauty of nature at it's fullest. Me and my girlfriend are planning and working to achieve this goal. This would be one of the ideas we have to, in some extend, let people, ideas or companies travel with us along the way.



We are enormously curious about what the sailing community thinks about this idea and would love to read your thoughts


Cheers, Nick & Amber

The established You Tube channels make little to nothing from the products they advertise. At best they get free product but it's often just a discount on something they would have bought anyway. To date, sailing channels have nothing in common with NASCAR regarding the advertisements. Selling advertising space on your boat is not something you should bank on working.

[Shrew]

It will take more than just going there. You will need convince an advertiser that there is a reason people will be looking, watching, photographing and publishing images of your boat.