Contributors: Kaitlyn Grant (Project Manager) and Phyllis Ford (Director of User Experience)
Last week, a few members of the Piehead team boarded the Piscataqua, a reproduction of the flat-bottom gundalow barges that were once prevalent in Portsmouth and the Seacoast region. While the “lunch meeting” included a beautiful sail on the Piscataqua River, we were along that day to help their team brainstorm new marketing initiatives and strategies for 2014.
We were excited to team up with this local non-profit organization, based in Portsmouth, NH, and to learn more about their mission “to protect the Piscataqua Region’s maritime heritage and environment through education and action.” The Gundalow Company currently educates (and entertains) through public sails, evening music sails, private charters, and educational sailing programs on board the vessel.
These shallow-drafted cargo barges were used in the 1600s to transport goods all around the world. These days, the two-hour sailing tour runs from Strawberry Banke out to the mouth of the Piscataqua River and back, educating guests about the vessel as well as the cultural and natural history of the region.
Kenzie & Friends on the Gundalow
After helping to set the main sail (Ahoy, matey!), the teams discussed ideas on how The Gundalow Company could use their often limited resources to leverage digital channels to reach new target markets and drive interest (and participation) in their “public sails.” Proceeds of the public sails support “off season” education programs they offer to schools and groups in the region.
“In my volunteer life, the Gundalow folks have offered their expertise to help me to educate people about how they impact the health of the waterways on the seacoast,” said Phyllis Ford, Director of User Experience at Piehead. “I was more than happy to volunteer myself and other Piehead team members to share our knowledge of the potential uses of digital media for brand engagement.”
This was a fun and exciting opportunity. We look forward to working with The Gundalow Company in the future to help implement some of the great ideas we generated and to further spread the word about the sails. There are still a few more sails this fall, visit http://www.gundalow.org/public-sails/buy-sailing-tickets/ to see upcoming events and dates.
Check out our pictures and look for the The Gundalow Company next year running from May to October 2014 for events and activities. http://www.gundalow.org/
