A few years ago, most folks didn’t know what a paddle board was. BOTE boards — including several Realtree models — have changed that.

The Fort Walton Beach, Florida, company manufactures cutting-edge paddle boards and gear. Corey Cooper, chief executive officer and director of product for BOTE, said the paddle board market has exploded largely because the public has caught on.

“I believe part of this is because the consumers have had more visibility to the product and can see themselves using it,” he said. “We’ve tried to build a demand by making it a lifestyle product, and I think it’s helped people overcome the fear of being able to do it. A lot of people are scared and say, ‘I don’t think I can stand on this, it doesn’t seem stable.’ But as more people buy them, it’s kind of an exponential effect in the sense that through word of mouth, our brand begins to reach more people. Then they sell the product to someone else and so forth. Once you get on a board, you’re hooked. You’re going to want to do it because it’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done.”

Currently, BOTE uses Realtree on its HD, Rackham and inflatable Drift models. And although paddle boards might not seem like a natural match for camo, Cooper said the opposite is true.

Realtree Camo Bote HD Paddle Board​

Realtree Camo Bote Rackham Paddle Board

Realtree Camo Bote Drift Paddle Board

“We are based out of the Southeast, and we reflect a lot of our region’s culture and lifestyle, which camo is a huge part of,” he said. “Camo and the entire hunting market is one of the biggest growing trend segments that there is. Our goal with making a camouflage board was a two-horned approach: We wanted it for visual aesthetics, but we also wanted it for functionality. We do a lot of stuff on our boards to be used in the outdoors, like hunting and fishing, and in those activities, the visual aesthetics can actually help you. But it also looks cool. Our 2016 12-foot HD Realtree is one of my favorite boards. So it’s a little bit of both — wanting it for the hunting and fishing but also for the cool factor. The lifestyle statement that says, ‘Hey, this is us. This is our DNA.’ People that like camo then have a relatability to a standup paddle board, which is incredibly important.”

Consumers have responded in a big way. In fact, Cooper said BOTE can’t keep up with demand.

“Every year, we generally run out of a particular model or every model because we are an organic business,” he said. “We are internally funded, and our demand has been growing at over 100 percent, and it’s been almost impossible to stay consistent and keep up.”

Other than word of mouth, BOTE takes a multi-layered approach to marketing and branding. Partnerships also play a large role.

 “We are heavy in social media, e-blasts, websites, tradeshows and collaborations,” Cooper said. “Collaborations are incredibly important to us because the people that you choose to work with reflect the type of brand that you are trying to portray. Realtree is a great example of that. We know that the traditional Realtree customer may not have been familiar with standup paddle boarding, so we thought it would be a perfect platform to introduce to those kind of people in a different way. Standup paddle boarding is not just for surfing. It’s also for all walks of life. That’s been an important way that we’ve reached customers: through collaborations to show them different and potential uses for these product through social media (and other avenues).

“It helps us reach new customers by having the Realtree print on our boards. It adds authenticity, and it helps through collaborations … . Art and the team at Realtree have been great to work with and have provided us with some great connections that have reached out to Realtree in the past. It helps really align us as a brand so that when people see our brand as a whole, they see our authenticity from working with Realtree, especially since we are the only ones in the industry that do, which is really cool.”

Cooper said BOTE also listens closely to customer feedback. However, consumers generally want something that already exists. In an effort to fulfill customer needs but also maintain their originality, BOTE attempts to guide customers into new, innovative ideas and styles they haven’t been exposed to before.

 “We pride ourselves on attempting to shape the industry,” he said. “Everything we’ve done, we’ve received criticism for it — whether it was a fishing board or a Realtree board — but we take this criticism and use it as fuel and make something really cool. My motive is I make a board that I would buy. If I don’t like it, I’m not going to make it. Which is exactly the mission we stand by: Stand apart through industry-shaping innovation, fresh ideas and simplicity to create a product that defines a lifestyle. This is what is most important to our business in moving forward.”

For more information about Bote, please visit www.boteboard.com or email [email protected].

What are you doing to put your products and services in front of this huge group of 21 million hunting enthusiasts? If you’d like to explore new avenues, Realtree can help. Check out these case studies of companies who have expanded their distribution and sales through the power of  licensing with Realtree.  If you’d like to do the same get in touch with us and let’s talk.