Say what you will about the often-head-scratching early days of Powerboat Nation editorial, the folks behind it were ambitious and unconventional. Their lack of journalistic training, experience and education led to uneven content—a charitable description for sure—but, damn, they did some wicked-fun stuff on the marketing side.
Their finest, most-audacious marketing-hour came during the 2014 Miami International Boat Show when, led, by former Powerboat Nation content-man Brad Schoenwald, they put a Cigarette 38 Top Gun V on top of the Clevelander bar’s roof. The famed Ocean Drive watering hole as the place to be after dark for the go-fast boating crowd during the show.
So what better place to throw a Saturday night party to promote the website and do a little guerrilla marketing?
One outrageous idea led to another, and when party-goers arrived they were greeted by the outrageous sight of Schoenwald’s own 38-footer—dressed in the logos of Powerboat Nation advertisers—atop the Clevelander.
It was an expensive, complicated undertaking and it never happened again. But it was outrageous and fun.
And unforgettable.
