|
You have seen me attack TV sponsors when they cast
fly-fishers in a poor light, (the Wall Street Journal
for instance) now I want to try something different.
I think that folks who fly fish have a leg up on
being the right kind of people. The code of ethics,
the discipline, and all of what goes into making a
person a successful fly-fisher I think helps make
them a good citizen too.
I just watched a TV commercial for T. Rowe Price, nice
job guys. It made fly-fishers look good. This kind of
image may help build our community. It may get some
kid somewhere to ask his dad to teach him how to do it.
My problem is this, how do I (you and I) get more TV
sponsors to promote our sport in a good light rather
than a foolish one (WSJ again). I may have a few
connections to some sponsors, but, not enough and
not the right ones. This is a very closely held
business, they use 'media-buyers' and all sorts of
connections to produce a commercial.
Can we find any avenues that can make a start, a dent,
some small difference at all? I think we can. We just
have to recognize the problem, that's a start. Now we
need to try to make some progress, any progress is
still progress, then expand on that.
I am not asking you all to go out and sign up with T.
Rowe Price, that's not it, we need to let our feelings
be known to all the other outfits out there that could
just as well put a fly-fisher in their commercial as
anything else.
We all remember how we got after the boys with the ORV
running up streams, if a negative campaign can make a
difference, perhaps a positive one can too. I have no
real ideas how we all can facilitate this, but let's
all try when and where we can. Sometimes just recognizing
a problem is half of solving it.
~ James Castwell
|
