Rubline Marketing: Mastering the Art of Growing a Brand

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APRIL 2020

INSIDE ARCHERY APRIL 2020 VOLUME 23 NUMBER 3

People
32 Power of Participation
■ Kendall Card, Crispi US
■ Bryan Child, Bakcou
■ Cassie Gasaway,
Archery Trade Association
■ Tim Neuman, Ani-Logics Outdoors
■ Troy Walters,
Lancaster Archery Supply
■ Morgan Gamble,
2 Mountain Outdoors

44 34 RubLine Marketing:
18 34 Mastering the Art of Growing a Brand

By Daniel Allred

Market Trends
12 New & Notable
Archery products with
strong sales potential.

44 Bow Report
APA Archery King Cobra MT
By Patrick Meitin

46 2020’s Hard-Hitting
Crossbows

Take a look at this comprehensive

list of 2020’s top crossbows.

By Daniel Allred

58 Cutting-edge Broadhead
Designs That Help

Customers Succeed

Broadheads for every taste, equipment

type and delivered energy level.

By Patrick Meitin

24 58

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4 INSIDE ARCHERY APRIL 2020

APRIL 2020 INSIDEARCHERY.COM 23

RUBLINE MARKETING:

Mastering the Art of Growing a Brand

C hase Rohlfsen has always had a knack for standing
out in the crowd. Just take his signature white
Adidas, for instance. They might seem like nothing
more than a casual choice of footwear, but there’s a
story behind them, and that story exemplifies Chase’s
unique ability to leave a lasting impression.

By Daniel Allred

34 ININSSIDIDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY AAPPRRILIL2020

APRIL 22002200 IINNSSIIDDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY..CCOOMM You see, Chase Rohlfsen made his splash into the archery industry back in 2008. Fresh from
his role as a sales and marketing expert for General Motors, Chase attended the ATA Trade
Show to promote his brand new company, RubLine Marketing, and this is what happened:

“I came from a pretty corporate background,” Rohlfsen explained. “I wore a suit and tie
every day to work, but in the evenings I would always go back to my comfortable white
Adidas. I went to my first trade show in 2008, and on the first day I wore cowboy boots and
jeans, just like everyone else. At the end of that day, my feet hurt so bad I could barely walk,
and so on the second day, I wore my white Adidas. I didn’t care because my feet hurt so
bad from those cowboy boots. Someone who ended up being a client later told me that they
remembered the marketing guy in the bright white shoes, and I realized that a lot people
may not remember my name or my company, but they’ll remember those white Adidas. So
it’s been my tradition ever since then to bring a brand new pair of white Adidas to every ATA
Trade Show.”

This out-of-the-box thinking extends far beyond Chase Rohlfsen’s taste in fashion. As the
founder and president of RubLine Marketing, he and his company lend their marketing ex-
pertise to dozens of leading brands in the archery and outdoor industries.

In 12 short years, Rohlfsen has gone from the “marketing guy in the bright white shoes”
to a definitive specialist who has surrounded himself with other definitive specialists from
different fields. Altogether, RubLine Marketing is continuing to find success in an ever-
changing market, and it’s continuing to help a variety of leading manufacturers find suc-
cess, too.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

Before Chase Rohlfsen distinguished himself in the archery industry, he first distinguished
himself in the marketing division of General Motors.

“After working for GM for a few years, I got an offer to move into management, and I
started running a small team of marketers,” Rohlfsen said. “After about three years in that
role, I pitched a marketing program to the higher-ups. They liked it, and they let me take
the lead and run with it. It ended up working pretty well. I was able to make a name for
myself in the company, and from there I led a lot of different sales and marketing initia-
tives for GM.”

In the meantime, Rohlfsen was also developing a deep passion for archery and bowhunting.
“My love for hunting started out with upland game,” Rohlfsen said. “I wasn’t introduced
to archery until about the year 2000. A friend of mine—who I’d gone waterfowl and pheas-
ant hunting with—really encouraged me to pick up a bow, so I did. I went out to a treestand
with him, and I had a couple opportunities that I blew. Then he kind of pushed me out of
the nest and encouraged me to learn more on my own. I ended up knocking on doors to find
property to hunt on, and I put up a treestand, and that first year of bowhunting on my own,
I was successful. I shot a 120-inch eight-pointer, and I was hooked—just hooked like crazy.”
In fact, Chase Rohlfsen was so hooked on bowhunting that he bought his own piece of
hunting property, and this led to a chance encounter with Mark Drury, host of Drury Out-
doors and founder of M.A.D. Calls.
“One day I got a call from Mark Drury,” Rohlfsen said. “He had purchased a piece of prop-
erty next to mine, and he was just calling to introduce himself as my neighbor. From there,
we became really good friends. We talked about strategy and the differences between our
businesses, and it just became a phenomenal friendship. I had nothing to do with the hunt-
ing industry at the time, but there were a lot of similarities between our marketing projects
and plans. Then, when General Motors fell on hard times in 2008, I lost my position, along
with 3,500 of my coworkers. That actually just set things in motion for me, though. I was
talking to Mark after I lost my position, and he put the idea in my head that I should bring
my background and skills to the outdoor industry, and in 2008 RubLine Marketing was
born.”

35

RubLine Marketing has certainly come a
long way since those early days. Rohlfsen
has proven time and time again that he
has a keen eye for brand development. Ac-
cordingly, RubLine’s client list has grown
steadily over the years, and so has its staff.

“When I first started out, I was mostly
doing short-term consulting,” Rohlfsen
said. “I would come in, look at the com-
pany’s product, get an understanding of
their business, and I would develop a plan
for them. The only problem was that after
I came up with a plan, I lost control of how
exactly the plan was executed. How well
did they put their catalog together? How
well did they construct their commercial
time? How well did they buy their media?
Did they pay the right price, or did they
overpay? All of those lingering questions
gave me the inspiration to really grow, and
after a few years of consulting, I started to
expand my operations to include special-
ists like graphic designers, photographers,
videographers and social media experts. I
built a team around myself, so now when
I develop a plan, I can count on my team to
execute that plan.” One of those specialists
on the RubLine team is Mark Watson, the
company’s creative director. A graphic de-
signer by trade, Watson has over 35 years
of experience in his field.

As an old friend of Chase Rohlfsen, Mark
Watson watched RubLine Marketing grow
and flourish from the very beginning.

“I met Chase about 20 years ago, when
he and his wife moved here to Traer,
Iowa,” Mark Watson said. “It’s a small
town, so just like anyone in a small town

TOP: Keegan Rohlfsen is following
in his father’s footsteps by learn-
ing how highly professional brands
gather and present content in dif-
ferent advertising mediums.

BOTTOM: Chad Billick is a strategy
specialist and account manager for
RubLine, and he works closely with
the company’s clients to deliver
powerful messages to curious
consumers.

36 ININSSIDIDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY AAPPRRILIL2020

Chase Rohlfsen, center, meets with two of his key team members: Mark Watson, creative director; and Tina Rausch,
executive assistant.

would do, my wife and I invited them over for supper to meet has been social media, and a lot of people get way too hung up on
them and welcome them to Traer. We became friends and stayed that option. Our goal is to work in several different mediums be-
in touch, so I saw when he first started RubLine out of a small of- cause consumers of different demographics get their information
fice in his home. I knew right away that he was passionate about from different places. Your seasoned hunter—who owns land, a
it, and he had his eyes on a much larger goal. I would contract pickup truck, lots of blinds and treestands, and an ATV—he’s the
with him here and there before I joined full-time, and he was al- kind of guy who reads print magazines and watches outdoor net-
ways bringing in other talent to give the customer a better experi- works on TV. Then you look at the 35- to 45-year-old demographic,
ence. There’s been a lot of steady growth over the years. He started and they love researching on Facebook and other places online.
out with that home office, then rented a small office in town, and They are active in different groups, and they might have a few
then he bought the building we’re in now. We still have plenty of favorite blogs.
room to grow, and Chase is still very forward thinking.”
“Then you also have to consider the younger, incoming con-
MODERN MARKETING EXPERTS sumers,” Rohlfsen continued. “They might not have much dis-
posable income to their names, but they are learning and figur-
It’s not easy to stand out in the crowded modern world of adver- ing out what their favorite brands are. You have to set the stage
tising, but Chase Rohlfsen and his team have figured out how to for them, so they are already brand-loyal once they’re ready to
do exactly that. As a full-service marketing firm, RubLine has de- buy. Our balanced diet approach considers all those different
veloped and executed countless successful advertising campaigns kinds of mediums and uses them to deliver the right message
for a variety of archery, hunting and outdoor brands. to all those different demographics. The product that’s being ad-
vertised also factors heavily into the equation. The demographic
How do they do it, exactly? makeup of a handgun buyer might be very different than the
Well, if only there were a simple answer to that question. The demographic makeup of consumers who are looking for a re-
truth is that it takes a lot of knowhow and smart decision-mak- placement treestand cushion, for example. You always have to
ing, along with a complex mixture of different advertising medi- figure out who that demographic is and what pieces of media
ums. Chase Rohlfsen calls it his “balanced diet” approach. they consume.”
“You have to look at every marketing opportunity that’s out
there and understand that your goal is to create a ‘balanced diet’ Chase Rohlfsen also places a lot of value in printed media like
of those different options,” Rohlfsen said. “Lately, the buzzword Inside Archery.

APRIL 22002200 IINNSSIIDDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY..CCOOMM 37

Keegan Rohlfsen • Axis Deer “Print is the longest standing medium
we have, and when you read something
Chase Rohlfsen • in print, it validates the message more
New Zealand Stag than any other place you see it,” Rohlfsen
said. “Chances are, the first place you see
38 a product or a message is on social media,
and that’s because it’s instantaneous. We
are absolutely flooded with messages on-
line, though, so it might not really stick.
Then you might see it again when you’re
watching TV, and more of the message
is there, but it still feels like you’re being
sold to. When it gets to print, it becomes
validated. It’s almost like hearing it from
a buddy, like word of mouth, because you
subscribed and asked for that message.
You buy a magazine from a newsstand
because you want to read what’s in there.
You truly value that content. So it might
not be the first place you see the message,
but it’s the place that validates it for you.”

Simply put, RubLine’s strategy works,
and the company’s clients will tell you the
same thing.

“Building a brand name in today’s out-
door industry has got to be one of the
most challenging, time-consuming, ex-
pensive tasks a company faces, outside
of simply building a world-class product,”
said Steve Greenwood, general manager
of Victory Archery. “In the case of Victory
Archery—although we make the world’s
most advanced carbon composite arrows
and crossbow bolts—we very much lacked
the understanding of how we should mar-
ket and promote our product line through
all possible venues, ranging from popular

TV shows, to social media and
print media.
That’s where RubLine Market-
ing came to our rescue, and it’s
been an incredibly reward-

ing experience since Chase
Rohlfsen and his experienced
marketing team took over the
Victory account. I’ve worked
with multiple advertising compa-
nies over the past 30 years in our in-
dustry, and I can honestly say this is
the very first time I’ve felt 100 percent
comfortable allowing a marketing firm
to handle all of our marketing needs. With

ININSSIDIDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY AAPPRRILIL2020

the help of RubLine, our business has definitely seen a noticeable positive Bo Adams is one of RubLine’s dedicated
increase in Victory brand recognition.” specialists, and he helps outdoor brands
capture top-notch photos and stunning videos.
Other RubLine clients shared very similar thoughts.
“Working with RubLine has been a great experience for our company,”
said Derek Amaral, director of sales and marketing for ThermaSeat. “Chase
and his team are committed to excellence with everything they do. Our
website upgrades, social media marketing, media production, and overall
market reach has consistently been proven successful. RubLine is com-
mitted to their customers, going above and beyond in the entire scope of
their work.”
For the team at RubLine Marketing, these happy customers serve as a
badge of honor and proof that the company is doing things right.
“Our growth has really only come from word of mouth,” Mark Watson
said. “If we weren’t doing our jobs well, then that word of mouth wouldn’t
be happening. If we were letting our clients down, they wouldn’t recom-
mend us. In fact, they would probably tell people not to come to us. That’s
the thing about word of mouth, right? A customer has a positive experience,
and they tell one person. They have a negative experience, and they tell ten
people about it. We know this industry is very tight-knit, and we strive to
give everyone a positive experience so that good word of mouth continues.”

BIG PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

RubLine Marketing is really just hitting its stride. The company has come

Sara Rissi is the company’s digital marketing strategist,
and she gets hands-on with outdoor products to deliver
impactful messages online.

APRIL 22002200 IINNSSIIDDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY..CCOOMM 39

a long way in 12 years, and it plans to go
even further in the next 12 years and be-
yond. To get there, it’s going to keep doing
what it does best: provide marketing solu-
tions for outdoor companies in need.

It’s also worth noting that RubLine’s full
service package is a one-size-fits-all deal,
meaning the company can be equally ben-
eficial to manufacturers both large and
small.

“We really enjoy working with clients
of all sizes,” Chase Rohlfsen said. “With
newer start-up companies, we inter-
view them and make sure it’s a product
we can get behind, and a lot of the time
it’s just a phenomenal invention. Take
CWD-Free, for example. We got to work
with them from the very grassroots be-
ginning and help develop that brand
from its infancy. And there’s a lot that
goes into that, including how a prod-
uct is priced and packaged, and how it
hangs on the shelf. It’s amazing watch-
ing them grow. We’ve had clients who
started with us when they were brand
new, and now they are doing tens of
millions of dollars in sales.

“But we also have a lot to offer our
larger clients, like Can Cooker, Victory
Archery and Scent Crusher, as exam-
ples,” Rohlfsen continued. “For them,
we’re here to fill all of their marketing
gaps. They might not want to hire some-
one to do that position in-house, or they
might not have a large enough need
to justify a full-time employee. They
bring us in because we have videogra-
phers, photographers, studio design,
art direction, writers, bloggers, IT and
SEO experts, and social media develop-
ment groups. We have all of these skill
sets under one roof. They can hire us

TOP: Mark Watson, RubLine’s
creative director, brings over 35
years of experience in graphic
design to his current role.

BOTTOM: Tina Rausch, executive
assistant, is a key player in the
RubLine team.

40 ININSSIDIDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY AAPPRRILIL2020

to fill their gaps, instead of hiring—for Sara Rissi • Whitetail
about the same price or more—a single Chad Billick • Turkey
marketing person who is a jack-of-all-
trades and master of none. That’s a
common situation, and they end up out-
sourcing bits and pieces of it anyway.”

Looking ahead, Rohlfsen and his team
are going to continue to stand out from the
crowd and deliver exceptional results, and
they’re going to do it through sheer will
and hard work.

“I know that Chase’s goal is to continue
to grow the business and create a last-
ing legacy of success,” Mark Watson said.
“Chase isn’t one of those absent owners
who isn’t around much, and if he was, we
wouldn’t be able to go above and beyond
like we do. He always expects the best
from us, but he’s right here with us, shoul-
der to shoulder. He’s always here working
late, always going the extra mile for his
clients. At the end of the day, that’s what
will keep RubLine growing. Nobody is go-
ing to outwork us. Nobody is going to give
you the same kind of attention and service
that we do.”

CONCLUSION

Today’s media landscape is teeming
with different brands and messages vy-
ing for attention. Consumers are often
overstimulated, and it takes something
special to break through the noise. This
simple truth makes RubLine Market-
ing’s success even more noteworthy.
Chase Rohlfsen and his team have solved
the puzzle, and they have offered their

Bo Adams • Zebra

APRIL 22002200 IINNSSIIDDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY..CCOOMM 41

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6

HOT 2020 PRODUCTS FROM RUBLINE CLIENTS

8 1 • Scent Crusher: The Locker is the newest addition to Scent Crusher’s collection of odor-eliminating products. This convenient
storage solution emits chemical-free ozone that destroys most odors within 30 minutes, and it can operate for 4 hours on a
5 single charge. It is easy to assemble, and it also features durable, weatherproof construction. Check it out at scentcrusher.com
1
2 • Victory Archery: Victory Archery’s new VAP-SS is a bone-crushing, deep-driving micro-diameter shaft with stainless steel
3 layers infused into a 90-degree carbon fiber weave. The VAP-SS is lighter and faster than Victory’s hard-hitting Xtorsion, but
4 it has the same durability and even tighter tolerances. Check it out at victoryarchery.com.

11 3 • Steambow: The ONYX crossbow has the perfect combination of speed, power and ergonomics. Like other Steambow
10 products, the ONYX has compressed CO2 in a refillable tank that powers a pneumatic cocking device. That means this
crossbow can be cocked or de-cocked with the push of a single button for increased safety and convenience. Check it
42
out at steambow.com.

4 • CWD-Free: This urine-based “hybrid” deer attractant is made with a process that targets the “bad” unwanted compounds
in non-deer urine and leaves the “good” wanted compounds. This neutralized urine is combined with synthesized natural
compounds and proprietary scent additives. The result is a urine-based attractant that didn’t come from deer, meaning it is 100
percent CWD-free and legal in all 50 states. Check it out at inventiveoutdoorsllc.com.

5 • Full Range Hanging Systems: The Corner System is a unique system that allows you to display trophies in any corner of a
room. Its patent-pending design allows you to use the most unused part of a room to continue displaying trophies when your walls
start to fill up. The Corner System comes with an 8-inch arm and everything needed to display a trophy that is 35 pounds or less.

Check it out at fullrangesystems.com.
9

6 • CanCooker: The Original CanCooker prepares up to four gallons of food and can feed up to 20 people for only $89.99.
It can be used for everyday family meals, or holidays and large gatherings. The CanCooker is lightweight and made of
high-quality aluminum, and it uses a silicone-sealed lid with a latch closing system to seal in flavor and ensure years of
hassle-free cooking. Check it out at cancooker.com.

7 • ThermaSeat: The Hybrid RX from ThermaSeat is just as comfortable on the ground as it is on the treestand. Its “G4”
Premium Gel Core is designed for supreme comfort in the woods. The Hybrid RX features 0.5 inches of Rigid Closed Cell Foam, a

1.25-inch layer of Premium Comfort Foam and a 1.25-inch G4 Premium Gel Core. The cushion also features a non-slip rubber-
coated base fabric and a shoulder-carrying strap for easy carrying. Check it out at thermaseat.com.

2 8 • Rhino Blinds: Rhino Blinds recently unveiled the new Realtree Escape R600 and Mossy Oak Bottomland R150. All Rhino
Blinds are built tough and designed to withstand inclement weather conditions like rain, snow, hail and wind. These five-

hub blind designs maximize strength and comfortably fit two to three hunters. They’re easy to set up and take down in

as little as 60 seconds. The window system consists of a large front window on two panels of the blind with three smaller

windows on the backside. The windows have mesh that is adjustable and removable. Check it out at rhinoblinds.com.

9 • Nose Jammer: Nose Jammer’s Predator Spray is specifically formulated to overwhelm a predator’s sense of smell
without alarm, and it’s easy to use. Simply spray it on clothing, boots, gear, treestand, blind, or surrounding vegetation. The
formula contains Vanillin and other natural aromatic compounds, including lignin, which a major support structure for trees,
grasses and shrubs. These compounds are delivered at concentrated levels, overloading the olfactory gland found in an ani-
mal’s nose, helping hunters to remain concealed. Check it out at nosejammer.com.

10 • Shadow Hunter: The multi-person Marksman 6×6 octagon hunting blind is one of the largest and most well-equipped
blinds in the Shadow Hunter collection. With its eight-sided octagon-shaped design, this blind has a 360° sight and shooting
range. Four over-sized Shadow Hunter Silent Gun/Cross Bow Windows with shooting rails are paired with four vertical corner
windows to optimize this multi-hunter blind for all types of hunting. Check it out at shadowhunterblinds.com.

11 • Fore Runner Ground Blinds: The Fore Runner Blind is the first portable soft-sided blind of its kind in the industry. The
blind was designed by hunters to hold up to harsh late season elements, while also being completely user friendly. Fore
Runner blinds have an integrated hitch system, allowing them to be towed by an ATV or side-by-side. The wheels are de-
signed to easily engage and disengage in a matter of minutes, making this one of the most mobile blinds in the industry.

Check it out at forerunnerblinds.com.

ININSSIDIDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY AAPPRRILIL2020

Chase Rohlfsen works with Mark Watson and Tina Rausch to form strategic marketing campaigns for the company’s
many clients.

ABOVE: The Rubline team lent insights to help dozens of manufacturers stand out from
its talents to Victory Archery the crowd.
to help the company come up
with this booth design for But like any other company in the industry, the fuel for
this company’s fire is raw passion. The RubLine team is pas-
the 2020 ATA Trade Show. sionate about their work, and they’re also passionate about
LEFT: Rubline Marketing the industry we all share.
helps brands start from
“My team is extremely passionate about delivering a su-
scratch with things like pack- perb product,” Chase Rohlfsen said. “They are perfection-
age design. ists, and you can see it in their work. They might do a photo
session for hours and hours, and if they look at that photo
APRIL 22002200 IINNSSIIDDEEAARRCCHHEERRYY..CCOOMM and it’s not perfect, then they will go right back to the stu-
dio and reshoot. We’re also happy to be in an industry with
so many other passionate individuals. Their passion cre-
ates incredible products, and we work with a lot of those
family-owned companies that are still very close to their
products because they created them. We talk about what
their success means to them, and then it’s our job to deliver
that success to them. We also try to put it on a human level.
It’s not transactional for us. It’s all very personal, and we
take their success very personal. Everyone at this company
believes that. We want our work to truly contribute to our
clients’ success.”

43