I'm Repowering with Yamaha

Yamaha Marine

Challenge

New boat sales had plateaued post-Covid, and Yamaha Marine found itself losing ground in the fast-growing repower market, the replacing of ageing outboard motors on existing boats. Competitors were discounting aggressively to win share, dealers were reluctant to embrace repower work, and Yamaha's margins were suffering. The battleground was the 91–140HP segment, the most significant
category in New Zealand's outboard market. Yamaha needed to stop the bleed, reclaim leadership, and do it without dropping their price.

Strategy

Rather than fight on price, Yamaha chose to fight on brand. The strategy was bold: halt discounting entirely, and invest in consumer storytelling to make Yamaha the smart, premium choice, even at a higher price point. The secondary objective was to re-engage the dealer network in the repower opportunity as a long-term revenue stream across servicing, parts and accessories.

Solution

Onfire worked with Yamaha to bring to life the "I'm Repowering with Yamaha" concept, sharpening the execution, deepening dealer involvement, and building a longer-term sales pipeline from the activity.

User-generated content became the campaign's creative engine, with real boat owners invited to share why they wanted to repower with Yamaha. Entries captured genuine passion, family connection, and life on the water. Some entrants even wrote original music. No paid creative could have replicated it.

New Zealand fishing legend and Yamaha ambassador Matt Watson fronted the campaign, bringing credibility and cut-through across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Boating NZ, EDM, and dealer channels. The entry mechanism captured entrant data for a post-campaign sales pipeline, transforming a competition into a nationwide lead generation engine, timed to prime dealers heading into summer.

The winner became a new Yamaha brand ambassador, and their repowering journey was documented across four weekly videos. Mid-campaign, Yamaha recognised the quality of entries and extended the campaign with a People's Choice Award, voted on by the public.

Result
51 days. 8.2 million total impressions. 250 qualified video entries. The campaign reclaimed category leadership in the 91–140HP segment, lifted profitability, and outsold the main Competitor by 5% in the months that followed. Strategy vindicated.

Video by Scott MacDonell, DoubleShot Video Productions

I'm Repowering with Yamaha

Yamaha Marine

Related Work

Surtees Boats

Haines Hunter