Cunard launches advertising campaign to showcase 'evolution and heritage'

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Cunard has launched a global advertising campaign showcasing its “evolution and heritage” in a bid to reach new audiences, its president has said.

The adverts, voiced by actor Richard E. Grant, are running across multiple channels to primarily reach new-to-cruise audiences and encourage them to reassess the line’s offering.

TV programmes featuring the adverts include ITV’s Shardlake and Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox.

Cunard president Katie McAlister told a Travel Weekly webcast: “We have got quite a unique positioning as we do luxury at a grand scale and most luxury cruise lines are a bit smaller.

“This means there is a Cunard experience for everyone as we have lots of different options and price points.

“The other thing we are leaning into is our heritage with our 185th birthday this year and you don’t get to be 185 without evolving, and the advertising is a real statement of that evolution and a nod to the heritage with some of it in black and white, and some in colour, which will bring it all to life.”

While the adverts will not carry a specific call-to-action for agents, McAlister said she hoped it would boost trade sales.

She added: “I’m hoping that everyone is going to be coming to the high street or pick up their phone [to their agent] and say: ‘Oh, I’ve seen that new Cunard ad, and I really fancy a Cunard voyage’.”

Cunard's 'why cruise when you can Cunard' global ad campaign. Resized

McAlister also highlighted the line’s 2027-28 programme as “big news for the UK”, with three ships sailing from UK ports for the first time since 2018.

She said: “It’s a big capacity increase for the UK of over 50% and we’ve got Queen Elizabeth sailing in the Mediterranean with fly-cruise, so it’s all really accessible for the UK market.”

McAlister said there would be “a lot of choice and a really big opportunity” which had come about because the line had seen how the market responded to Queen Anne’s launch a year ago.

Queen Victoria, a smaller ship than Queen Anne and Queen Mary, will be coming back to the UK for longer voyages “suited more to the traditional cruiser”, while Queen Anne will sail “a lot of Norwegian fjords” to help appeal to newcomers as a bucket list itinerary.

McAlister revealed that since the programme went on general sale last week, Queen Victoria had taken “the lion’s share of volume” and the trade had accounted for more than half of total bookings across the fleet.

Watch the ad here:

She maintained Cunard’s strategy had always been to “bring newcomers to the business”, revealing more than half of its passengers were new-to-cruise last year, with Queen Mary and Queen Anne “the biggest newcomer ships”.

McAlister added: “For agents, I would say if someone is on the fence about whether or not they want to try a cruise, Cunard is a really good entry point.”

Cunard recently announced leadership changes with the departure of UK head of sales Tom Mahoney for a strategic planning role at P&O Cruises, and Iain Baillie, formerly UK head of Carnival Cruise Line, coming in to head up its UK and EMEA sales team.

McAlister said Baillie has “a load of plans to talk about” and would bring energy, expertise and key relationships to the position.