This makes an assumption that paying for AC results in a net loss of profit to the marina. Not true if AC increases marina occupancy and therefore profits. Boating is not a zero-sum equation.
That is the concept being missed. Marinas wouldn't pay us unless they saw a direct return. Here's the internal magic of how it all really works:
- Marinas who average 4 or 5 stars love ActiveCaptain because for the first time, ActiveCaptain show boaters their qualities in an honest way. Let's face it, if you see a paid ad somewhere about how wonderful a facility is, you don't really believe that your experience will look like the picture, any more than you believe the Big Mac you get will look anything like the TV commercial.
- These marinas that the community rates as good or great want to pay for a couple of reasons: 1) they want to make sure ActiveCaptain is sustained, and 2) the extra tools and analytics help them bring more boaters who otherwise wouldn't come.
This is a pure dollars and cents decision. Partner marinas easily make up the yearly ActiveCaptain cost between within a week to a month. We couldn't have a viable business unless we could show that consistently.
So if you're a 2 or 3 star marina, a couple of things happen:
- We will not accept you into the partner program unless you have a plan and budget showing how you intend to be a 4-5 star facility. This usually only happens if the marina management/ownership has changed. We turn down money every week from marinas who don't measure up.
- The community learns about your ratings and they divert their spending to other, higher quality marinas where they'll have a better experience.
So the idea that ActiveCaptain has cost any boater anything is absurd. It certainly has cost the poorer quality marinas and yards though who can no longer hide from the experiences they provide. In reality, that's who actually pays for ActiveCaptain.
Marinas can no longer fool boaters by buying ads to show how great they are. Now the community, us, tells each other and the result makes our cruising more enjoyable. I'd expect the results of forums like this are similar - it's the interaction and opinions of others that matter more than any advertisement or promotion.
A side benefit is that, because the higher quality marinas get a higher occupancy, they're making more money than before. So they are much LESS apt to raise their prices - why should they? In that way, ActiveCaptain is providing higher quality experiences to boaters while keeping the costs lower.
Q.E.D.
...had the same thought....also barbeque grills, recreation rooms, cable tv, wifi, etc...etc...
