P&O Cruises embarked on a quest to attract new-to-brand guests who had never contemplated a cruise holiday. With the “Holiday Like Never Before” strapline, we were entrusted with creating a marketing experience to raise awareness and inspire potential holidaymakers who had reservations and misconceptions about cruising.
Some of the barriers that put people off a cruise holiday include the worry about feeling trapped and claustrophobic onboard, not good value for money and that they wouldn’t get enough time to enjoy destinations. Our goal was to challenge these preconceptions with our experience, educating and exciting them about cruising.
To do this, our objectives were to:
• Encourage sign-ups to the P&O Cruises database, growing the cruise share of the holiday market.
• Overcome the barriers to people cruising, recruiting new-to-brand guests.
• Target high-value “Discoverers”, inspiring them to consider a P&O Cruises holiday.
To recruit new-to-brand guests, specifically “Discoverers”, we needed to deliver an eye-catching, high-quality, memorable experience to drive a willingness to pay a price premium. We wanted to drive service excellence, aesthetic value and a sense of playfulness to influence perceptions and purchase decisions.
Personalisation would be a vital component of the experience. Those who get a tailor-made holiday perfectly matching their needs encourages people to discover more about a brand and drives sign-ups. We’d also incentivise sign-ups by aligning with P&O Cruises to offer a prize draw to win a 14-night Caribbean fly-cruise holiday.
Our strategy was to immerse guests into the world of “Holiday Like Never Before” by creating a cruise ship-inspired experience without being overtly cruise-like to draw them in with the element of surprise, smashing their ideas of what a “typical” cruise holiday would be like. We’d include options for people to get a personal holiday recommendation depending on their needs and wants.
Our luxury panoramic cruise vista docked in Bluewater and Westfield shopping centres in early 2024. An elegant dangling chandelier captured attention from every level of the mall, framing a beautiful white, blue and gold bar.
Looping footage of the stunning views from the ship’s deck showed the landscapes of the cruise destinations' Caribbean, Fjord and Mediterranean shores. Guests were offered refreshing mocktails inspired by the destinations, which they could enjoy while they relaxed at the bar, taking in the scenery.
Digital screens invited consumers to take a quiz, answering questions about their ideal holiday wishes. When they submitted their email address, they were sent a video of their personalised cruise destination showing off the onboard experience—all of which we created for P&O Cruises in-house.
Cruise Specialists were on hand to offer guests advice, encourage sign-ups and educate them on the perks of cruising.
