Comments on: Fly-Fishing Where the Fish Are

By: Social Media Analogies | Return On Now

Social Media Analogies | Return On Now — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 15:44:47 +0000

[...] must say, this is perhaps the best analogy I was able to find referenced online. Give a read to the original blog post and see for [...]

By: jason

jason — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:31:23 +0000

Nice post, Keep the polarized sunglasses handy and keep the tips coming

By: Tim Jackson

Tim Jackson — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 23:01:28 +0000

Rick- I love that! I am stealing it!
One of my very best friends is my fly mentor and he’s always correcting my sloppy casting (he’s an instructor/ guide)… every time my line snaps, he yells “11 and 1!” (My cast is particularly bad, so he pushes me pretty hard.)

By: Rick Fueyo

Rick Fueyo — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 19:25:13 +0000

As one who is responsible for marketing a new product whose target market is the fly fishing and off-shore fishing markets, I loved your post! One last fishing-marketing metaphor – 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock, stay within your target market and feel the rhythm.
Rick Fueyo
Director of Marketing
Obsessive Products, Inc.

By: Maura Welch

Maura Welch — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 20:47:16 +0000

Ann – great post! I blogged it on Boston.com today. I’m having that vacation re-entry wistfulness – missing the fishing, reading, kayaking, hanging out…so I really appreciated it. Good luck with the flycasting!

By: Steve McNamara

Steve McNamara — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 20:13:24 +0000

Hi Ann:
You really do have a mind for metaphor. Would enjoy more of the same, or something similar. With photos, of course.
Cordially,

By: Jay Silverman

Jay Silverman — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 13:46:07 +0000

Great post, Ann. I’ve been fly fishing for five years or so. I haven’t had much luck, but I’m still learning. For me, the “catching” isn’t as important as the “fishing” (don’t all the less successful say something like that?) As author John Gierach titled one of his wonderful books,”Standing in a River Waving a Stick” is way better than doing almost anything else.
Welcome to the Club. Since you started, have you noticed how many big businesses use fly fishing in their TV commercials? By the way, get a couple of Gierach’s books; he’s a great fly fishing story-teller and you can learn a lot while you laugh)

By: Andrea Learned

Andrea Learned — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:03:04 +0000

Fly-fishing is on my list, for just those reasons, Ann – and I think I’m about ready to learn it as well. Maybe I’ll meet you in Thetford next time?
Currently, horseback riding does the same thing for me. I had a lesson yesterday – and am still in “the zone.” Having zero expectations and only ever going once a month or so, I am thrilled to be able to canter for 30 seconds – and then spend most of my time at the stables just “being.” Om…
On a marketing note – your second point is always a good reminder for me: don’t try to control things too much. In horses, fly-fishing and business, the most amazing things happen when you have done your research/studied up, and then … let go.

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 14:41:55 +0000

Dennis & Spike — Sounds like my experience replicates what fly-fisher-people really love about fly-fishing. I well understand….it was awesome and I’m *still* carrying a bit of the calm within me. Tonic for the soul.
Aaron — That’s the LAST time I tease you. I swear. (Fingers crossed behind my back.)
David — That’s high praise from a writer like you. Thanks.
Hux — The thing is…I had ZERO expectations about fishing. I’m not sure there’s a marketing lesson in there…but there was a life lesson to let go and give things a try…you never know.
And Marianne — That division EVP must have been a fly-fisherman. : )

By: Hux

Hux — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 08:15:57 +0000

Simply pitching up to “try” and fly fish won’t cut it. Ann, you would not have given it a go if you knew you were not going to succeed or enjoy. It takes planning, effort, sacrafice and most of all belief in your PRODUCT (equipment etc)!.
I wonder how many people try to market something that they themselves don’t really believe in?.
The bottom line is, if you cannot believe in your absolute targeted purpose, perhaps some thinking next to the water is the next best thing…

By: marianne richmond

marianne richmond — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 08:12:23 +0000

Ann,
Great post! One of my most memorable moments in brand management was working forever on an elaborate BDI/CDI analysis for a Nabisco Shredded Wheat spending plan, presenting it to senior management and having the division EVP say after we droned on and on “So, Marianne what you all are saying is, fish where the fish are.”
Yep, I think that covers it.

By: David Armano

David Armano — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 03:52:01 +0000

Ann,
Thanks for sharing. I love the details that you include in your writing. I can almost see you fishing and enjoying the peace around you.
And Mack. I think “Ramblin’ Man’ might jus be your new theme song.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 22:46:10 +0000

PS. Make sure you take a compass…I’ve gotten lost as @#$^%$&#er out there!

By: Spike

Spike — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 22:14:24 +0000

It’s because fly-fishing isn’t fishing. It’s, well, more philisophical than anything else. It’s Zen-like. It’s peaceful. Three-fourths of the reason I do it is because you can stand in a river, alone, in the middle of nowhere and all you can hear is the water. Beautiful. Welcome to a whole new world…

By: Aaron

Aaron — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 20:54:29 +0000

It wasn’t too long ago that I expressed my passion for fly fishing to Ann…only to hear “What? Are you fishin’ for flies?”
I’m glad to see you’ve finally had the experience Ann, for there is nothing else that compares.
I sit here and think…”15 miles back in the Northern Maine woods, you step out from the dense furs, willy-wags, and blow-downs into an open meadow split by a brook that dips in and out of site through the tall grass. The only sounds are the wind in the tree tops, a soft babble of the brook, and nothing; the nothing is what sticks. It’s just me, my fly-rod, and nothing.”
As Dennis mentioned, just wait til’ you catch a nice one on a fly you made from feather, fur, and thread…with your very own hands. Zen is a good word for it.
Back to nature, and away from this keyboard .

By: Dennis Suler

Dennis Suler — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 18:06:08 +0000

Ann, as an avid fly fisherman who was President of a fly fishing company, the editor of an outdoors magazine and a technology marketing manager in the same lifetime, I appreciate your experience and can provide you with more insights that you will continue to discover as you learn the Zen of fly fishing. These are only a couple of insights that the world of fly fishing teaches; if you’d like them, feel free to drop me a line:
1. Fish only when the fish are feeding — There are many times when fish are inactive and not feeding. You must learn the cycles of people’s purchasing habits and when is the best time to promote your product for them to purchase.
2. Make sure you “match the hatch” when you are targeting feeding fish — offering a fish something to eat when they are feeding on something different will not induce strikes. You must provide your purchasers with products that satisfy their current needs and pains.
3. Catch a fish on a fly that you’ve made yourself — the only way that you can truly learn the Zen of fly fishing is to take feathers, fur, string and a hook and make a fly that imitates something that the fish are feeding on, then actually catch a fish. Learning the true Zen of a pursuit requires that you intimately understand each part of the process, from the habits of your purchasers to where and when they purchase, and their price points.
I hope you enjoyed your fly fishing experience. I’m sure that, if you choose to continue your pursuit, you will fondly remember all the time you spent on the water.
Regards,
Dennis Suler
Marketing Manager
The JS Group

By: Ann Handley

Ann Handley — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:39:43 +0000

Thanks for your comments, all.
Gavin, Mack, Lewis — thanks for the support (as always).
Michael — I didn’t catch a thing…save for one little guy that nibbled and then decided to move quickly on.
Rob — I look forward to that “take” Zen…nice way of putting it! I’d definitely be in the hunter-releaser (rather than hunter-gatherer) group.
: )

By: Rob Mellors

Rob Mellors — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 16:32:15 +0000

Ann
Really enjoyed your blog and like your analogies between fly-fishing and marketing, but the important thing is you got a taste of the Zen of Fly-Fishing. You can’t appreciate it until you’ve done it!
Our real Zen as fly-fishers is the moment of the “take”, but then in releasing the catch. We’re not out to harm the fish, but we acknowledge our hunter-gatherer instincts and with it also our responsibility to act as stewards in keeping rivers and lakes in good shape for future fish generations
Perhaps you’ll try again and experience the “take” Zen, it’ll be worth it I assure you . Then write again about that experience and its relationship to marketing.
Rob – BrownTroutFisher

By: Lewis Green

Lewis Green — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 15:59:50 +0000

I love the analogy, especially the part about fishing where the fish are. That said, some fish move around and bite better during different parts of the season. So do target markets.

By: Michael Stelzner

Michael Stelzner — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:54:03 +0000

Anne – It is absolutely true that we need to fish where the fish are.
This is so basic, YET so many people do not get it.
I often say that if you are fishing for Tuna, then why are you standing in 2 feet of water? People just assume they understand their target audience and often do not take the step to profile them properly.
Did I miss this or did you catch anything?
Mike

By: Mack Collier

Mack Collier — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 14:11:02 +0000

“It’s why Mack is always rambling on about joining your community”
Do I ramble? Well good, that means that you guys ‘get it’ BTW another great post Ann, you have a real knack for putting a ‘human’ face on these boring marketing lessons
And you were wrong, you DID catch something that day….the inspiration for a great post!

By: Gavin Heaton

Gavin Heaton — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 12:57:35 +0000

Can you dip your toe into social media? Probably not … your consumers and your audiences will pick up your timidity — as will the team working with you on the content. It isn’t that you need to make a big splash, but as Ann says, you do need to wade in and deal with the current, the surprises and the obstacles.
And at the very least, you will end up with a great story to share.