Norwegian Cruise Lines is setting sail with a $100 million branding initiative, its first campaign in a decade, to tout “freestyle cruising” for customers hopping aboard any of its 13 cruise ships.
Beginning Oct. 2, the new freestyle cruising mantra will re-cast the brand’s vessels as having no fixed dining times, no formal dress codes, relaxed boarding times and more, and will be promoted through print, online, onboard and out-of-home vehicles.
The campaign will span “all consumer, travel agent and guest touch points,” the company said.
Banner ads promoting the initiative will be posted on portals such as Yahoo, AOL and MSN and comparison shopping/search sites and travel sites. Three animated banner ads will highlight New York City departures and offer online games, including a “paper doll” game where users drag and drop clothes onto a pair of cruise travelers. Any combination of clothes will cause the banner to read “You look great,” whether users have dressed the dolls in a tuxedo jacket and scuba mask or sunglasses and a cocktail dress, further emphasizing the idea of freestyle cruising.
Also, in the New York metro area, out-of-home elements include commuter rail posters, messaging on the ABC Super Sign in Times Square, and dry cleaning bags that read, “Whatever this is, you can wear it onboard.” Also in New York (one of the company’s largest markets), NCL will sponsor traffic and weather updates on key AM and FM radio stations.
The company’s Web site, NCL.com, will be overhauled to carry the new messaging. By yearend, NCL ports and terminals will be outfitted with signage that reflects the new brand and port consultants will wear ties and scarves that feature a motif of a white fish swimming against a school of blue fish; this depicts NCL’s innovative spirit and its “non-conformist” guests, the company said.
Onboard, in-cabin signage—from the cabin keys and welcome-aboard packets to comment cards and restaurant-reservation cards—will reflect the new image. Labels on in-cabin amenities will feature phrases such as “flip flops and sandals need not apply.”
Members of the cruise line’s Latitudes frequent-cruiser program, as well as promotional pieces for the company’s direct mail and e-mail marketing campaigns, will feature the freestyle cruising message. Direct mail pieces announcing the campaign will go to 15,000 travel agents nationwide.
Meanwhile, eight ads will appear in more than 20 national consumer and trade magazines like Martha Stewart Living and Time as well as newspapers. Some carry tag lines like: “Our dress code: Wear Something” and “Dinner Will Be Served Promptly at Whatever O’clock.” An Oct. 2 edition of Travel Age West will be hit newsstands in a bright orange cover wrap that depicts the fish graphic and will tell travel agents to be prepared because the world will now know that only NCL offers freestyle cruising. Inside the publication, travel agents will find an eight-page booklet, titled “Go against the current.” It introduces the new NCL brand and highlights the benefits of freestyle cruising for their clients. Fun, offbeat features inside include watch cover stickers, freestyle vocabulary scratch off words and an “I love NCL” tattoo.
Additionally, two 30-second TV spots and a range of 15-second spots will air on a variety of network and cable channels.
Anchoring the initiative is branding agency GSD&M, Austin, TX, which created the new brand identity and is handling the media planning and buying.
“We believe bringing the brand to life in one unified voice across everything we do will help NCL and our travel partners expand the cruising population,” said Scott Rogers, NCL’s senior VP-sales and marketing, in a statement.
Building that population may be a key component to help the cruise line stem financial bleeding. In August, the Miami-based company reported a second quarter net loss of $35.1 million, citing softer pricing, significantly higher fuel costs and substantial start-up costs associated with its U.S. operations.
Last year, companies in the travel and tourism industry forked out $5.46 billion in ad spend, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
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