Surtees Boats

Building a brand that’s built to fish

Who helped Surtees Boats hook top spot in aluminium fishing boats?
Surtees Boats were founded in the early 1990’s when Neil Surtees decided to design and build himself an aluminium boat to use for fishing off the Whakatane coast. When local people saw the boat and the way it performed they asked Neil to build a boat for them. From those humble beginnings, Surtees have gone on to become New Zealand’s largest and most successful boat builder of aluminium trailer boats. And Onfire Design have been helping them along the way.

The Challenge
When Neil Surtees boats became a big success, they developed a problem with copycat manufacturers. Onfire Design were asked to develop a campaign to specifically address that problem and position Surtees as the market leader they are.

The Idea
Onfire Design created a campaign theme “Built to Fish” with entertaining and educational executions like “What Fish Think” and “What Fishermen Think”.

The Solution
Onfire Design developed a full communications package for Surtees, including signature branding, advertising, marketing , social media, boat show displays, press releases, and PR, for New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific. During Onfire’s relationship with Surtees, they (Surtees) won BOP Emerging Exporter of the Year, beating out major agricultural players like Ballance. Boat sales are booming and demand has outstripped supply.

“We only have praise for Onfire Design. They put us on the map. They are very professional, enthusiastic and have done a great job for Surtees Boats. Sammo and the team are very creative, go the extra mile with their marketing and advertising. Surtees boats are very happy with the team and are also happy to be associated with Onfire Design and have no problem in recommending them to prospective clients.”  
-Phil Sheaff, Surtees