A new global brand campaign around the ‘call of the sea’ has been unveiled by Royal Caribbean International.
It is kicking off with imagery of a conch shell as a phone – dubbed the ‘shellphone’ – to communicate the tag line: ‘The Sea is Calling. Answer it Royally.’
The official launch will begin with TV adverts in North America from January 9, followed by the rest of the world throughout the new year – coinciding with the ‘wave’ peak booking period.
The concept was devised by advertising agency JWT New York following focus groups and research carried out in 16 countries.
Consumers will be asked to “answer the call of the sea” by declaring where in the world they would like to cruise and be entered into a sweepstake at www.facebook.com/royalcaribbean.
Marketing senior vice president Betsy O’Rourke said: “We are tapping into the sea’s powerful, emotional force to reframe the context of cruising for consumers who don’t understand what a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation offers.
“’The Sea is Calling’ is a global-scale campaign that will resonate with people no matter where they live, what language they speak, or whether or not they’ve cruised before.
“And we want vacationers everywhere to know that Royal Caribbean’s distinctive and innovative ships, personal service and breadth of destination experiences is how we ‘Answer it Royally’.”