Marketing is an effective way to accomplish R3 (recruitment, retention, reactivation)

The fish and wildlife community is learning this and beginning to see what agencies can do and how much should be invested in marketing. Furthermore, with the new allowances in wildlife and sport fish restoration since the pittman-robertson (PR) modernization act passed, there are new ways to fund marketing in states that have not been able to in the past. This makes information about what the most effective marketing techniques are to accomplish R3 very timely information. Association for conservation information (ACI), with over 40 states fish and wildlife agency members who are practitioners of marketing and R3, is an organization that exists only to advance agency communication abilities. Since PR modernization, ACI has garnered 3 grants to accomplish R3 through marketing. We have the 2020, 2021 and 2022 case studies published and are in the midst of the 2023 campaigns being implemented. ACI has led 15 completed projects and is currently leading 5 more pilot states to innovate and continually improve R3 via new marketing techniques, has helped states with little to no resources directed toward marketing invest in these activities and see the value that marketing can bring to these efforts. The 15 states that have been involved so far have learned a lot through these pilot projects and are constantly sharing their case studies with others in the community. If we want all agencies to continue to adopt marketing as an integral practice to how we accomplish R3, we need to continue these efforts. This project will further develop the practices for states to innovate and continually improve R3 marketing techniques. Over the 2020-2023 awarded R3 marketing grants we have an established committee and 20 states have been able to put 50,000 each toward marketing tactics that have accomplished R3. This year we will have an application process as we have in years past and the ACI committee will chose 5 projects that rise to the top. We will strive to have one project from each association of fish and wildlife agencies region. Over the past several years we have proven the benefits of this program through implementing effective, trackable campaigns that are tied directly to the revenue that the campaign returns. The investment of these grant dollars in marketing has been multiplied and returned to each agency that has been the recipient of this projects grant funding for the last 4 years. There is still a great need to pilot new efforts and share the successes and challenges of doing those efforts with others working to use marketing to accomplish R3.