On Watch

BY PETER SCHRAPPEN

Some Sound advice: PETER SCHRAPPEN takes a page from Steve Jobs’ playbook when considering how to best push boating initiatives through local legislation.

Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs’ marketing principles were summed up in a tidy one-pager entitled The Apple Marketing Philosophy. The first core principle was empathy, an intimate connection with the feelings of the customer: “We will truly understand their needs better than any other company.” The second was focus: “In order to do a good job of those things that we decide to do, we must eliminate all of the unimportant opportunities.” The third and equally important principle, awkwardly named, was impute, according to Walter Isaacson’s masterful biography of Jobs. It emphasized that people form an opinion about a company or product based on the signals that it conveys: “People DO judge a book by its cover.” Mr. Jobs’ guidance would serve as sound recreational boating advice, too. While biased, I am pleased to report that for the most part, we have unintentionally adopted these same principles. For the focus, think about the three bills involving copper bottom paint that recreational boaters (via Recreational Boating Association of Washington) and boating businesses (thanks to Northwest Marine Trade Association) have coalesced around in the last ten years. To refresh your memory, Governor Inslee signed the latest one, Senate Bill 6210, in 2020. This remarkable law phases out copper bottom paint only if a stakeholder group “determines that safer and effective alternatives to copper-based antifouling paints are feasible, reasonable, and readily available.” This group will meet in 2024 and if they find enough quality alternatives, then the phase-out of copper-bottom paint will begin on January 1, 2026. If the stakeholder group determines that copper-free paints are not passing muster in 2024, then a second study will begin in 2029 to see if there are more choices then. You may remember that boaters and industry could live with these dates when the bill became law. As for empathy, the boating advocacy arm reminded key legislators that happy boaters are more likely to double as happy constituents. Who wants grumpy boaters phoning their offices complaining about a ban on copper paint that leaves mariners with few options that work as well and are as ecologically sound? The lobbying team also praised the legislative champions to whomever would listen, scoring more empathy points. If there’s one thing lawmakers like, it’s praise. Also, money can serve as a way to measure empathy. Political action committees can “focus” (there’s that word again) their donations and be there for legislators when called upon to help meet fundraising goals. NMTA’s Political Action Committee made tough decisions to follow the heuristic to thank champions first and foremost with their limited campaign dollars. Nothing says empathy like a campaign check. As for imputing, that’s all about messaging. It’s washing your mouth out with soap if during testimony and meetings the word “yacht,” or, heavens to Betsy, “superyacht” appear. Rather, more vanilla words like “vessels” matter more. Believe it or not, it’s all about underselling the boats with lawmakers and overemphasizing, excuse me, imputing that boating means business. This messaging can take the shape of tours at boatbuilders or boatyards. After all, who’s not for a working waterfront? Who’s not for recognizing the economic impact of recreational boating’s $6.9 billion commerce in the state? As it turns out, boating is credited with being recreational gold and the recreational boating lobby has strung together a number of victories due to RBAW’s savvy team and the combined effort that’s taken place behind the scenes with NMTA. The state’s entire maritime industry is indeed working on your behalf.