Carnival Cruise Lines, will launch a new multimillion-dollar broadcast and print advertising campaign designed to communicate the significant elevation in product quality aboard the “Fun Ships”…
Carnival Cruise Lines, will launch a new multimillion-dollar broadcast and print advertising campaign designed to communicate the significant elevation in product quality aboard the “Fun Ships” in recent years.
The campaign – the largest ad buy in the company’s history – depicts the Carnival vacation experience of today, which is the result of a multiyear program of comprehensive product enhancements and upgrades.
Four different television commercials, as well as the company’s first extensive consumer magazine placements, will appear in a wide variety of media outlets beginning Jan. 3, 2005.
Tagged “There Are A Million Ways to Have Fun,” the wide-ranging advertising initiative was created by Carnival’s ad agency, Coral Gables, Fla.-based Cooper DDB.
According to Carnival President and CEO Bob Dickinson, the new campaign is a dramatic departure from previous advertising efforts, conceived to communicate the ongoing evolution of the “Fun Ship” product, while maintaining the line’s core brand promise of “fun.”
“Our research shows those who have vacationed with Carnival in recent years have a vastly different perception than those who either haven’t sailed with us in awhile or have never vacationed aboard the ‘Fun Ships,’” Dickinson said. “We’ve enhanced virtually every aspect of the Carnival cruise experience, from dining, entertainment and service standards to on-board programming, shore excursions and in-cabin amenities. This campaign reflects the high quality level of ‘Today’s Carnival,’” Dickinson added.
The TV campaign consists of four different commercials – “couple,” “family” and two versions of an “active couple” spot – all set to the classic tune “Beyond the Sea,” made famous by recording artist Bobby Darin.
Each spot features guests enjoying various aspects of a “Fun Ship” cruise – dining, spa, shore excursions, service, entertainment and other on-board activities.
The “family” spot, for instance, depicts parents relaxing in a whirlpool, the kids sliding down Carnival’s identifiable corkscrew waterslide and the entire family frolicking with dolphins during a shore excursion. The “active couple” spot shows a husband and wife running laps on the jogging track, working out in the gym and traversing the Jamaican countryside on elevated cables as part of an adventurous canopy tour.
The spots also include signature Carnival features such as the line’s popular “towel animals,” reservation-only supper clubs, considered the finest alternative dining option at sea, and lively wait staff dining room performances.
“The new TV spots are definitely more contemporary, with a softer focus and longer shots of the subjects, all designed to communicate the higher caliber of Carnival’s product,” Dickinson said.
More than 6,400 spots are expected to air over the course of 2005 and will appear on top-rated network shows such as 24, The West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Law & Order, The O.C., and Amazing Race, as well a variety of cable channels, including A&E, The Discovery Channel, TNT, HGTV, Bravo, The Travel Channel, VH1, Fine Living and Food Network.
The new print ads feature a large image of a Carnival “Fun Ship” set against a sunset background, done in a mosaic style made up of thousands of tiny images of different aspects of a “Fun Ship” cruise. The end result is a series of dramatic, colorful ads that resemble Impressionist-style paintings.
Each ad also has an inset photo that is tied to a particular theme – cuisine, service, family cruising, etc. – which can be used to market to a specific publication or audience.
The print ads will appear in high-end, high-circulation consumer magazines such as Oprah, Real Simple, More, Food & Wine, Travel & Leisure, Cooking Light, Conde Nast Traveler, Vanity Fair, and People.
The new print campaign design will be incorporated into Carnival’s various collateral materials which will feature the mosaic style.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
