AkzoNobel partners with five Australian influencers to share ‘That Feeling’ with the rest of the world
A record-breaking sailor and two adventurous sailing couples have all signed up to be part of a global roster of influencers participating in the AkzoNobel That Feeling masterbrand campaign.
Lisa Blair, the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica, joins Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu and Jason Marshall and Janaye Macdonald on the Yacht Coatings team’s crusade to celebrate life on the water.
The influencers are all recognised for documenting their adventures at sea and were selected to produce content that shows what That Feeling means to them.
Lisa Blair took sailing to a whole new level when she set off to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around Antarctica in 2017. She has clocked up 800,000 nautical miles and has a legion of more than 4,000 followers on lisablairsailstheworld on instagram.
Describing That Feeling, Lisa said: “The feeling of peace, watching the perfect sunrise or the feeling of sheer adrenaline as I surf waves the size of highrises in the Southern Ocean.
“It’s that feeling of accomplishment when I go through all the many challenges and succeed in setting a new record. The ocean is my happy place and I feel completely at home at sea.”
Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu otherwise known as Sailing La Vagabonde have a YouTube channel with 1.8m followers. Amongst their adventures includes the rescue of climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg when they responded to a social media appeal in November 2019. Greta had found herself suddenly on the wrong continent when climate change conference COP25 was moved from Chile to Spain at the last minute. With air travel not an option Greta turned to Twitter for help – and Riley and Elayna came to her rescue.
Describing That Feeling, Elayna said: “It’s a sense of freedom and human connection. It comes when you’re out at sea and you become so close with the people you are with that you start to be able to read their thoughts.”
Gold Coast-raised Jason Marshall and Janaye McDonald, became hooked on YouTube sailing videos – and decided to wave goodbye to the nine-to-five and embark on a life of adventure – documenting their journey on their own Leading The Escapade channel.
Describing ‘That Feeling’, Jason said: “Sailing means freedom and being able to move about the world and see new places, having a new backyard everyday, jumping into the water to cool off, lazing aboard our boat in the sun, enjoying afternoon cocktails as we watch the sunset.
“It’s also spearfishing to catch some dinner, raising the sails as we island hop, watching storms pass over us and realising the ferocity of Mother Nature.”
The ‘That Feeling’ campaign was launched to invite the yacht community to share the pride and passion they feel from a life connected with sailing and the open water.
‘That Feeling’ also reinforces the pride and passion of boaters and applicators share as AkzoNobel continues its celebration of 50 years of Awlgrip topcoats, which since 1973 has offered innovative and proven marine coating technology that has elevated the beauty and elegance of yachts of all sizes from around the world.
Matt Anzardo, AkzoNobel Global Yacht Segment Manager, said: “From the applicators to boaters, the global boating community is defined by its passion and, at AkzoNobel, we share in That Feeling too.
“Our influencers will tell their own story of what That Feeling means to them, adding a rich depth to the campaign and helping to engage a new generation of people in the industry. They’ll share in their own words what matters to them, from the pride in achieving the perfectly applied finish, to the passion of a challenging day on the water.
“At AkzoNobel, we get That Feeling by creating the best high performance yacht coatings on the market, knowing that our customers are covered from bow to stern.”
