Carnival Cruise Lines is launching a new national advertising campaign next week that features the unforgettable and memorable vacation moments experienced every day by the cruise line’s millions of guests, as captured through their own lenses. The “Moments That Matter” campaign includes thousands of real vacation photos and videos from past Carnival cruisers, collected through social media.
When Carnival put out the call, past guests submitted more than 30,000 pieces of “cruiser generated content,” ranging from small moments like lounging poolside to larger-than-life moments like marriage proposals, each reflecting people’s most treasured vacation memories.
“For more than 41 years, Carnival has been creating the backdrop for lasting vacation memories for more than 60 million guests and we know there is no one more qualified than them to tell the authentic story of what a Carnival cruise is truly like,” said Jim Berra, chief marketing officer for Carnival Cruise Lines. “This campaign features real guests of all backgrounds and ages having fun and making great memories together.”
“We found those looking to book a cruise are much more likely to listen to recommendations from previous cruisers. There’s a level of trust there that can’t be fabricated,” said Pete Johnson, executive creative director, creative lead, Arnold Worldwide, Boston, which developed the campaign in partnership with Carnival. “That’s one of the reasons we decided to showcase meaningful moments experienced by past guests in the creative. It’s a way to create a real representation of the memories that can be made while cruising with Carnival.”
The campaign is part of a fall marketing push by Carnival Cruise Lines to stimulate consumer interest in the brand. More than $25 million in total will be invested across broadcast, radio, digital and direct mail between September and December 2013, and, while that does not represent the brand’s total annual advertising spend, it is substantially higher than what the company normally invests during the fall time period. The campaign will continue during first quarter 2014, which is a critical reservations period for the cruise industry known as “wave season.” Within the call-to-action at the end of the spot, consumers are encouraged to contact their travel professional, part of the line’s ongoing effort to drive more traffic to its travel agent partners.
The new TV spots will debut on Monday, September 23, 2013, and will air on major primetime network shows including, How I Met Your Mother, Parks and Recreation, Big Bang Theory and The Voice, leading cable networks including Bravo, TNT, TLC, ABC Family, TBS and Food Network and online on Yahoo! and YouTube.
