Royal Caribbean has taken the unprecedented step of putting its wave campaign on sale two months earlier than usual.
Instead of launching in January, the cruise line’s offer went live on Saturday November 1 and will last three months, until the end of January 2015, instead of the usual two (January and February).
UK director, Stuart Leven, said: “We are continuing our all-inclusive offer for wave, but we are launching it early.
“We invested in every single national newspaper on Saturday and on Sunday, and will be going in the free newspapers like the Metro and Standard this week, promoting our offer.”
He said the all-inclusive deal would be available on all European sailings and worldwide sailings except the Caribbean, which will have a separate offer that he will release next week.
Speaking on board Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Quantum of the Seas, which operated an inaugural two-night cruise from Southampton at the weekend for trade and press, en route to its naming ceremony in New York, Leven explained: “The adverts will all focus on Quantum and Anthem [which will launch in April sailing from Southampton for summer 2015].
“It will show the iconic, recognisable North Star – the viewing pod which extends up and out 90 degrees over the side of the ships, and remind customers that these two Quantum-class ships change everything.”
He said he wanted to launch his all-inclusive wave campaign early to capitalise on the interest around Quantum due to its visit to Southampton this weekend.
“We are owning the press cycle at the moment having brought Oasis of the Seas to Southampton two weeks ago, having brought Quantum here this weekend, and because Anthem’s home will be here.
“We are only half-way through this inaugural and we have already reached over 75 million people through the media coverage the ship has received. It’s the right time to strike,” he said.
Leven said the national newspaper activity would be supported by investment in Royal’s trade partners through co-operative marketing funds, with a particular focus on the multiples and consortia whom he believes can help attract new-to-cruise customers.
He said he was confident agents would get behind the early wave offer, despite November and December traditionally being a quieter period of the year.
“If you have a really exciting, different product at great value that agents are already selling, but then you bring them on board to experience it themselves, so they have an emotional connection to it, then I am confident they will get even more behind it,” he said.
Royal vice president international, Dominic Paul, revealed the company would be doing more TV advertising in January, featuring “Anthem-focused creative” to continue to build awareness of the brand and to help drive consumers to agents to book.