Marketing and Media Relations Report
Over the course of the last year CAFA greatly increased its reach and profile both domestically and internationally making 2004 the most prolific time in our association’s history.
While CAFA will have sanctioned no less than five events this year, the greatest impact will have been generated from the A.I.D.A. World Championships held this past August in Vancouver.
Stories leading up to and during the ‘World’s’ were broadcast on CBC Television, CBC Radio Three, RDI, Global, CTV, and BBC Radio. Real time updates to the official website aidaworlds2004.com. in depth coverage on Deeperblue.net and feature articles in Apnea Magazine, France, and numerous regional, national and international news publications generated a significant audience of freediving enthusiasts for and during the event. Last but not least we are still anticipating the feature on Trans World Sport (Television), which will bring highlights of the Championships to over 100 million people worldwide.
As a result of all this exposure CAFA is uniquely positioned as the go-to resource for freediving in North America, a strong platform to build upon as we go forward.
Meantime CAFA has continued to set the bar when it comes to freedive event marketing and promotion. The aidaworlds2004.com website, while designed to provide essential organizational functions, became a must-have destination thanks to daily video updates produced by CAFA member Goh Iromoto and the aforementioned real time result postings. The ‘dailies’ also set the tone for Goh’s recently released DVD of the event, which has received rave reviews from all corners of the globe and will continue to generate credibility for our association for years to come.
All this bodes well for CAFA in 2005 as, thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved this year, we can be sure our fine reputation precedes us.
Perry Gladstone
Director at Large