Saltwater Marine Achieves European Brief from Honda Marine
Saltwater Communications, a specialist marine public relations and marketing agency operating under its BLUE Communications brand name, has won an important mandate from Honda Marine Europe to lead a comprehensive communications program across Europe.
Honda Marine Europe announced in June 2025 the appointment of The Copeland Group as their multichannel public relations and communications strategy provider, to assist them as they enter a new phase of growth in the leisure marine sector. Their program seeks to strengthen brand visibility among boatbuilders, dealers, distributors and end users across key European markets.
Honda Marine Europe plans to increase their presence at major European boat shows, deepen collaboration with boatbuilding partners and expand support for their dealer and distributor network, with Saltwater supporting these objectives by conducting targeted marine trade and consumer communications. This initiative marks part of their overall push to position themselves as an outboard engine pioneer that offers high performance while remaining sustainable; their brief thus serves as an opportunity for Saltwater to assist this effort and to strengthen Honda Marine Europe as an attractive option for recreational boaters.
Scope of Communications Program
Under this agreement, Saltwater is charged with providing an integrated suite of brand and communications services for Honda Marine Europe, drawing upon their expert knowledge of marine market as well as longstanding relationships with maritime and leisure marine media outlets. They must use traditional public relations tactics, digital content creation, event support services and stakeholder engagement activities to raise Honda Marine products and technology profile across Europe.
Honda Marine Europe's multichannel program aims to highlight their innovation in outboard engine performance, efficiency and emissions reduction - in line with increasing expectations from boat owners, dealers and regulators for more sustainable propulsion solutions in leisure boating. Saltwater support will include increasing Honda Marine presence at key European boat shows and events with the goal of building direct engagement with customer communities.
Saltwater Marine Group leverages its industry knowledge and specialized approach in order to deliver consistent messaging across trade, consumer, and digital channels, aiding Honda Marine Europe in differentiating its products in a rapidly developing outboard propulsion market.
Strategic focus on stakeholder engagement and sustainability narratives
Saltwater will work closely with Honda Marine Europe marketing and communications teams to identify case studies, partnerships, product stories that show how Honda Marine technologies meet emerging expectations for performance, reliability and reduced environmental impact. This aspect of their mandate will remain central.
Honda Marine Europe has made clear in their messaging for future campaigns that they intend to focus on both enjoyment of boating and their commitment to environmentally conscious innovations, including reduced emissions and more efficient propulsion solutions. Saltwater communications support will surface these messages across various channels to reinforce brand value as well as address regulatory and societal pressures on leisure marine to reduce its environmental footprint.
Honda Marine Europe represents an expansion to Saltwater's existing portfolio of marine clients and further solidifies their role as communications partners for companies seeking to navigate shifting expectations around sustainability, digital engagement and brand differentiation within Europe's leisure marine ecosystem.
Implications for marine communications agencies.
An outboard engine manufacturer's decision to hire a marine specialist agency underscores the increasing value placed on sector specific communications capabilities in maritime and leisure marine industries. As brands face intense competition, shifting regulatory environments, and greater scrutiny on environmental performance, firms with deep industry knowledge become key partners for shaping effective messaging and stakeholder strategies.
Saltwater's recent mandate mirrors larger trends in maritime and marine leisure communications, wherein integrated public relations, digital content creation and event support are being coordinated to meet strategic objectives such as sustainability leadership, customer centric innovation and closer supply chain collaboration. Honda Marine Europe's partnership with Saltwater seeks to take these sector dynamics and transform them into an approach which supports its commercial growth while upholding its status as an established technology leader for outboard propulsion systems.
Honda Marine Europe's appointment as one of Saltwater's strategic marine agencies exemplifies how specialized marine agencies stand to gain as manufacturers, service providers and maritime technology firms increase their focus on targeted, technically informed communications that incorporate sustainability considerations in years ahead.