Voice & Copy Development

Sage

Sage R8 Launch Messaging

To launch their most revolutionary fly rod to date, Sage tasked Voicebox with shaping and honing an authentic message that conveyed the true significance of the R8’s new graphite technology. Partnering with Far Bank Brand Manager David Lantz, we held sessions with the rod designers to uncover how their advancements created a superior fly-fishing experience. Typical rod marketing focuses on incremental advancement in areas of accuracy or distance, but Sage challenged us to build their enduring story of exponential leaps in fly-fishing that matched their headline of the eighth revolution in fly rods.

We dug deep into 40 years of Sage history, while pairing that with our knowledge of angling culture and decades of communicating product design theory in outdoor, action and mountain sports. In the end, we ideated an entirely new messaging strategy that focused on a zen-like connection to the entire fishing experience. The R8 story emphasized the feel of fly fishing, from the sensitivity of mending your line in the water to the subtle take of the fish. Our messaging about “feel” and “made to fish, not just cast” was not only revolutionary for the industry but also elevated Sage’s brand promise to the forefront, linking it to their technology in a way the brand and the industry hadn’t seen before.

We condensed our creative big thinking into a one-sheeter that ensured messaging alignment and gave their sales reps and dealers a key communications tool. We also wrote the CEO’s launch letter and assembled a presentation deck that framed the compelling story in a way that connected emotionally and viscerally with the market. That language was picked up nearly word for word in Fly Fisherman Magazine’s review of the R8, while also forming the foundation and language of three months of creative campaigns for Sage and for the framework of their website around the launch. The project was met with resounding praise by Sage’s CEO, sales team, and brand manager, who called it “overall the most impactful thing we’ve delivered in years.”

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- For most of us, an idyllic day on the water is not when we’re thinking more, but when we’re thinking less. Finding that state of fishing in the moment, where instinct and experience bring us to an almost zen-like awareness of each subtle motion and movement—that’s what R8 is all about.It’s not a race or a competition, but a state we all aim to reach out on the water.
  
  With R8 technology we enhance that two-way connection from hand to fly and back for greater feel, flow and control.
- If it were just about catching more fish, we’d be out there with a spinning rod. We flyfish for the challenge, for the difficulty, for the constant lifelong process of learning and mastering every single detail. Whether it’s the mental chess of matching the hatch, the headspace of reading the water or the instinct of putting a fly in exactly the right spot—our best days emerge when our mind is right. It always seems that when we’re not thinking about it is precisely when our fishing mind takes over—where every single moment feels almost automatic or instinctual. With immediate feedback from tip to hand, R8 is designed to facilitate that higher state of mental flow and focus when small decisions, thoughts and actions line up effortlessly.
- Shaping eight revolutions in how we fish
  
  Since our founding on the shores of Puget Sound four decades ago, Sage has repeatedly revolutionized graphite fly rod technology. We’re lucky to live at the confluence of a diverse angling culture and an epicenter of the aerospace materials industry. This overlap between opportunity and knowledge, between legendary Steelhead rivers and leading-edge composite scientists, between trout streams and saltwater habitat—essentially between the art and the science of flyfishing—has shaped our characteristic outlook on innovation from our very first Winslow blanks to our latest generation of graphite and taper revolution.
- It’s Time
  
  After many years in the works, countless hours on the water and the unbelievable efforts of every single employee at Sage, I’m excited to officially announce the launch of Sage’s R8 CORE. I’m incredibly proud of both the innovative technology and the tireless efforts that shaped this new rod into a handcrafted work of art.
  
  The initial response from our ambassadors and dealers has been resounding and I can’t wait to see where R8 takes us all in our experiences out on the water. With spring emerging and home waters starting to heat up, I’m incredibly grateful for the hard work our team has invested to truly provide the fly fishing community a fly rod that is sure to enhance the fishing experience for us all.
  
  Enjoy and see you on the water.
  Kris Klein
  
  CEO, Sage Fly Fishing
- EFFORTLESS ENERGY TRANSFER
  
  We’ve increased the purity of graphite in the rod for even more reactivity and sensitivity, resulting in a true two-way connection that returns greater feedback from the fly to the hand. Rather than dialing up parking lot distance, we’ve shifted the thinking back to the roots of rhythm and awareness—where you can feel the energy transfer happening in each moment.
- Feel
  
  We’ve increased the purity of graphite in the rod for even more reactivity and sensitivity, resulting in a true two-way connection that returns greater feedback from the fly to the hand.
  
  Flow
  
  Rather than dialing up parking lot distance, we’ve shifted the thinking back to the roots of rhythm and awareness—where you can feel the energy transfer happening in each moment.
  
  Control
  
  Our new axial fiber formulation allows you to feel when the power needs to be applied throughout the cast, presentation, and when applying the appropriate pressure to fish.
- R8 Core
  
  R8 Core is focused on maximum versatility and applies new revolutionary material technology through our forward-thinking lens of what we’re seeing out on the water where one rod needs to show even greater range. At its core, R8 Core traces a direct lineage to Sage’s multi-application vision, one shaped by the fishing evolutions happening all around us—from habitats we stalk and waters we frequent, to the flies we fish and the diversity of species we now target.
- Handcrafted in the USA
  
  We’re not a big faceless factory, but rather a workplace of craftspeople who design and build the world’s best fly rods and reels using our hands and hearts. We do it by sharing ideas and always asking the next question to find what can be done to make this better. Our rods are built one at time right here on Bainbridge Island, WA , following hundreds of meticulous steps and passing through 23 sets of hands. We’re out there fishing the same places in the same unforgiving conditions that you are. Craftsmanship is applied experience. Lifetimes of it.
- We don’t just fish for the fishing, we fish to feel it in our soul. That’s why, for our eighth revolution in Graphite, we brought the focus back to rhythm and awareness—so you can truly feel the energy happening in every single moment on the water.
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