Marketing Team Report | 2025

By Lawrence Carter, Susan Pitts, Harry Shutler and Isabel Moss

So, why choose Berthon? Every yacht we list at Berthon is unique. We are Berthon’s marketing team, based at our Lymington HQ, and working with the entire Berthon Sales Group, meticulously crafting an individualised marketing plan, tapping into decades of expertise with a process that genuinely cares about each yacht’s story. From the first conversation to the final handshake, we ensure each yacht’s visibility remains as sharp and engaging as possible.

With many repeat clients spanning our long company history and a collegiate group of brokers whose expertise makes them specialists in their field, our aim is to build a lasting relationship not only with our clients, but also with the yachts we encounter in each individual sales campaign.

Bespoke Marketing Packages

At Berthon, we understand that every yacht has a story, and we are dedicated to telling it through a tailored marketing strategy designed to stand out. Our view is that a yacht listing with Berthon is much more than an entry on a brokerage sales platform. It’s a multi-faceted journey coordinated centrally, ensuring every yacht receives the exposure she deserves and an understanding that a single approach doesn’t work for all yachts.

We therefore work to combine a mix of strategies to create impact. Through our CRM circulations, new listings and price updates are instantly shared via a targeted list of qualified buyers; as mentioned in previous publications, our ‘BOB’ database, now ‘SuperBOB’ following a cloud-based facelift, is a powerful sales tool.

In today’s digital age, where social media also dominates and traditional print advertising wanes, crafting a successful yacht marketing campaign requires depth, precision, and a tailored approach. We pay close attention to which platforms benefit our sales processes directly, specifically where our key audience demographics gather, ensuring visibility to an already semi-qualified and engaged audience. We also build captivating video content, including walkthrough videos and supporting in-depth blogs that highlight our yachts’ features and updates, generally hosted on Berthon International’s website and our successful YouTube channel.

Harry ‘Camera’ Shutler

It is clear that ‘visual’ media is king in 2025, and as such – Harry Shutler is key to the Berthon Sales Group marketing machine; he provides bespoke photography and video production, tailored to the Berthon fleet. Using advanced equipment, such as Sony A1 full-frame cameras, Harry captures highquality imagery and 4K video at 120 fps is perfect for smooth slow-motion effects during sea trials. Multiple pre-mounted lenses ensure seamless transitions, even in challenging conditions, whilst additional lenses are securely stored for versatility and protection. Longer lenses remain on RIBs to capture distant shots.

Harry’s process includes filming onboard, dynamic RIB-based footage, and aerial perspectives using the DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone. For walkthrough tours, our brokers use GoPros to document interiors and exteriors from multiple angles, providing buyers with an immersive view of each yacht’s layout.

Our projects span the globe, including filming the Fleming 58, SARAH BELLE III in Spain, the Mylius 80 FD, CARBON ARROW 3 in France, and incorporating footage from exotic locations like the Discovery 55, SYLVIA in French Polynesia.

Beyond listings, Harry handles broader projects, including all our in-house publications, and interviews with yacht owners. He takes pride in capturing the cover of the Berthon Book annually, with recent shoots at Old Harry and Freshwater Bay.

Our RIB fleet, including a 6.5m and an 8.8m, ensure adaptability to any sea trial conditions. Harry is passionate about his job, which is why he produces such wonderful imagery and video. Constantly refining techniques and updating his gear, he strives to highlight each yacht’s story with unparalleled quality and creativity, which is now a Berthon USP. Ever the perfectionist, he has even been known to swim ashore for the perfect shot when conditions demand it!

Yacht Particulars are Key

While it is understandable that a lot of our processes discussed in this article so far are rooted online, before any of that, ‘traditional’ yacht particulars remain at the core of any good listing, providing essential, granular information for both prospective buyers and collaborating brokers.

At the Berthon Sales Group, our brokers work closely with us to craft a comprehensive specification, incorporating purpose written owners’ and brokers’ comments, a full description, detailed plans, high-quality imagery, and an extensive equipment list within 2 key documents:

1. Our sales particulars.
2. Our photo brochures.

These particulars also highlight any refits, upgrades, or significant service work carried out, offering buyers a clear picture of the yacht’s history and value. To ensure our listings remain fresh and relevant, we regularly update key details, such as engine hours, servicing records, and any improvements that take place during the life of the marketing campaign.

What is Expected

We use targeted print advertising in leading industry publications (Boat International, Yachting World, Motorboat & Yachting, and Seahorse as well as Cruising World in the USA, På Kryss in Sweden and Seilas in Norway) so that our yachts reach the eyes of the right buyers.

Beyond this, we coordinate a multi-faceted approach to our online brokerage profile, utilising services such as Yatco, YachtWorld (and their associated Boats Group platforms), The Yacht Market, and more recently, RightBoat.com. Our international offices also focus on more geo-relevant third-party platforms, which, for the purposes of this article, are too numerous to list.

We believe that what is imperative here, now more than ever in 2025 and beyond, is ‘usefulness’. We are in the business of selling yachts, and whilst a third-party platform reporting that your listing has been seen by upwards of 100,000 people over a given period may seem particularly titillating, what truly matters is whether the platform can generate legitimate enquiries. As a result, our suite of listing aggregator platforms and online marketplaces is now more dynamic than ever before, often directly tied to the state of the yachting market internationally, and where we believe interested parties may be.

Publications

Berthon has also developed a suite of targeted publications designed to elevate yacht exposure.

You are currently reading The Market Report. Released each spring, this publication provides digital-first insights into market trends, tips, and features, highlighting the Berthon fleet within the broader industry narrative.

The Berthon Book is an annual print and digital magazine. Featuring engaging articles and fabulous imagery, it also showcases our entire fleet and is distributed globally to a carefully curated audience. As a resource buyers return to throughout the year, it delivers lasting visibility.

Berthon’s Winter Collection, launched at the start of the year, offers a fully digitised platform with virtual tours, allowing potential buyers to explore featured yachts from the comfort of their study at home.

We are passionate about what we do, so we could carry on, but mindful of the Editor’s blandishments about article length, we will close now.

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