Fly fishing isn't a new concept. Branding an organization or service isn't new either. But mixing the two--fly-fishing and business branding on location, in the wilderness is a fresh concept that is fueling what its' Largo, Florida creator hopes will be an emerging trend to conduct executive business planning retreats at fly fishing locations.

Former VP of Martin Advertising, and Fortune 500 Advertising and Marketing Communications Director for Progress Energy Corporation, D. Wendal Attig is an author, professional speaker and executive business coach.

For almost ten years as America's Brand Positioning Coach™, he has worked with organizations who value and want to enhance customer loyalty. With the emerging trends aimed at leveraging the customer experience, his “Think Like The Fish!™,” presentation showcases the latest trends, tactics and practical case examples of how to do it effectively and delivers a world-class fly fishing experience, too.

The presentations and workshop sessions are designed to help senior staff see the importance of the consumer experience associated with their business and keys in on the trend of creating and managing this experience to increase customer preference and loyalty. "Experiential Branding" as it's called, involves creating customer experiences that considers sensory perceptions that enhance the value of the consumer encounter with a particular business.

The presentation offers executives a chance to see the parallels between the behaviors of customers and that of fish, with the promise that learning to "Think Like The Fish™." (customers) will enhance brand loyalty and ROI.

At the same time, these executives are learning the best of fly fishing from on-location guides and instructors which not only offers many of them an opportunity to experience fly fishing for the first time, but spawns creative thinking and reinforces the experiential branding concepts.

The interactive presentation, designed to involve many members of the group and share examples from many

different industries, was originally designed at the request of Sizzling Platter, a multi-franchise restaurant operator headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The organization's 40 member general management team completed a fly-fishing / strategic planning conference in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest on northern Utah's famous Green River. Sizzling Platter's President, Robert A. Kimsey says, " Our management team voted this year’s session as the best yet….in spite of the rain and the “roughing it. They felt that being in a “comfort challenged” environment brought them closer together in a shared experience. Food for thought."

"I have used many metaphors to communicate with groups, but fly fishing is the absolute best when it comes to branding, marketing and putting human behavior into memorable perspective." "The groups have fun with it as they learn how to adjust and create customer experiences that build brand loyalty," says Attig.