Outdoor Recreation Leader, Affinity Group, Restructures

VENTURA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Affinity, the nation’s largest provider of outdoor recreation clubs, media and events, announced today a corporate restructure to better accommodate the $14.7 billion-a-year outdoor recreation industry. The company, serving six million customers, unveiled the comprehensive new branding strategy during the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association’s (RVIA) 45th annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, KY.

“Affinity has listened to its advertisers and partners,” said Mike Schneider, CEO of Affinity. “We are structuring Affinity’s vast services and resources so they are easier to understand and so that we can provide better access to the many marketing channels we have to reach the diverse market of outdoor enthusiasts.”

Under the new strategy, Affinity businesses will operate under four new groups – Affinity Media, Affinity Clubs, Affinity Events and Affinity Ventures. The new format will enable existing and potential partners and advertisers additional access to multiple Affinity channels and touch points.

• Affinity Media – Managing all of the company’s business and consumer publications, e-commerce and complementing Web sites. Leading RV and camping publications include MotorHome, Trailer Life, Highways, Woodall’s Camping Life, and RV Business. Powersports and boating publications include Rider, American Rider, ATV Magazine, ATV Sport, SnowGoer, Powersports Business, Boating Industry, Trailer Boats, Watercraft World, Bass & Walleye Boats and Powerboat. High volume Web sites include RV.net and RVSearch.com.
• Affinity Clubs – Catering to 1.5 million club members including the Good Sam Club, Coast to Coast Resorts, Camp Club USA and Golf Club International.
• Affinity Events – Encompassing 35-plus consumer shows held annually across the country, including retail events for RVs, boats, home & garden, motorcycles, snowmobiles and ice fishing.
• Affinity Ventures – Overseeing joint venture partnerships, including relationships with GMAC Insurance and Barclays Bank.

Affinity also unwrapped its new corporate logo that includes a new tagline, “Recreation in Motion,” developed to project the company’s image as a positive force moving forward to help the growth of the entire outdoor recreation market. Affinity’s new vision has the company striving to be America’s champion for the fun, freedom and adventure of recreation in motion.

The new corporate structure also calls for the elimination of the long-held corporate names and logos of California-based TL Enterprises Inc. and Minnesota-based Ehlert Publishing Group Inc.

According to the RVIA, RV ownership is growing faster than the population with nearly one in 12 U.S. vehicle owning households now owning an RV – an estimated 8 million vehicles. Statistics and studies conducted by the RVIA also suggest the growth rates in the RV marketplace are likely to continue in the long term – with the number of RV owning households rising to 8.5 percent by 2010.

“Demand for RVs will continue to grow during the next decade, due to favorable population trends and purchase intentions,” reports Gary LaBella, vice president and chief marketing officer for RVIA. “With the increasing growth of the RV market, RVIA is thrilled to see a company with the reach of Affinity doing everything it can to meet the needs of this dynamic niche market.”