In an email marketing campaign and on its website, Bass Pro Shops asked its customers to post a selfie of their latest catch using the hashtag #Fishie, donate to the “Teach a Child to Fish” program and challenge five friends to do the same. The retailer is asking them to post their selfies on social media.
The challenge is part of a larger program for Bass Pro Shops’ “Gone Fishing” program which introduces fishing as a “gateway to discovering the outdoors,” according to a press release.
The program is aimed at people of all ages, particularly urban youth and children overly-focused on their digital devices.
The national program encompasses a variety of significant initiatives designed to introduce audiences to outdoor recreation that haven’t been exposed before, and inspire experienced anglers to pledge their support and join the fishing movement this summer.
Events within the program include in-store events, collaborating with Major League Baseball teams across the country, tapping into the star power of professional athletes and celebrities, partnering with local and national nonprofits and leveraging social media to raise awareness.
“Bass Pro Shops is committed to inspiring more young people to get to know and love the outdoors,” said Stan Lippelman, the company’s vice president of marketing. “In fact, 100,000 people caught a fish at a Bass Pro Shop last year alone, many for the first time. We hope to expand this by offering additional free, easy opportunities to introduce kids and teens to fishing. Once they catch their first fish, we know they’ll be hooked.”