Carnival helps create fun and memorable
first-time experiences for guests every day
onboard their ships, whether it's riding a
wave runner, parasailing above the Caribbean
or breaking into song with a waiter between
courses at dinner.
Unfortunately, most consumers aren't aware
of what a cruise offers, or how a Carnival
cruise compares to more familiar vacation
experiences on land.
With that in mind, we decide to awaken
consumers to everything that is possible
on a Carnival cruise, and bring those first-time
experiences to cruise rookies everywhere,
both online and off.
Building America's List
We began by declaring 2011 the Year of
Firsts, and putting Facebook at the heart
of our campaign.
To mobilize consumers to create their wish
list, we assembled popular firsts and solicited
our existing Facebook fans for their "bucket
list" favorites, whether part of the cruise
experience or not.
We built on this with a Facebook application
that enables consumers to see popular items,
create their personal "bucket list" and share
it with friends and family.
More than 50,000 lists were created and
they were shared more than 15,000 times
on Facebook news feeds. These lists
became an easy and effective way for
Facebook fans to introduce cruising to
their friends.
The campaign played a major role in tripling
the brand's Facebook following from 400,000
to more than 1.2 million fans in only 5 months,
more than any other cruise line.
Carnival kept the campaign top of mind
on their Facebook wall and encouraged
further participation by giving away a free
cruise every month.
Creating Firsts at Sea
To show consumers the power of first-time
experiences, we took the campaign a step
further with a veritable Cruise of Firsts
onboard a Carnival cruise.
We recruited two families and two couples,
all cruise rookies, and exposed them to
a number of surprise firsts over the course
of an eight-day cruise to the Caribbean.
Picky eaters tried new food. Kids went for
their first snorkel. One nervous Dad sweat
through his t-shirt while going on his first-ever
parasail. Throughout, a lot of fun was had,
and key aspects of the Carnival cruise
experience, from accommodations to dining
and entertainment, were highlighted.
The resulting videos were shared with
consumers on Facebook, and via online
media on sites such as YouTube and Hulu.
Creating Firsts on Land
Back on land, we furthered our goal to make
firsts happen both in local markets and on
national television.
In Charleston, a key Carnival port, the brand
sponsored the Cooper River Bridge Run,
a popular annual race. With the support
of local media and PR, Carnival held a contest
seeking one lucky couple who was up for
both running their first 10k race and getting
married at the finish line. Two firsts, checked
off in one go.
Our winning couple, Tina and Andy, became
the toast of Charleston, and we shared their
story with the world via Facebook and online
media. Their honeymoon was, of course,
onboard a Carnival cruise.
On national television, Carnival got both the
Today Show and Ellen Degeneres involved
in bringing more firsts to life, and was also
an official sponsor of the Times Square
confetti drop during New Year's Eve, where
consumers' wishes were read aloud for TV
by host Anderson Cooper.
During a week-long segment on the Today
Show, each anchor shared something from
their personal "bucket list," and checked it
off on national TV. On her daytime show,
Ellen Degeneres featured onboard Carnival
firsts and gave away surprise cruises to
deserving members of the in-house audience
and viewers at home.
Celebrating Firsts Everywhere
Carnival also celebrated consumers' first-
time experiences throughout the campaign.
Consumers' firsts weren't just shared with
friends and families on their Facebook news
feeds. We also honored selected fans by
featuring their accomplishmenst as our Firsts
of the Week – replacing them as Carnival's
profile pic, and showcasing their first on
the brand's Facebook page.
In key markets, dozens of local consumers
who had checked something off their "bucket
list" also had the chance to star in a digital
billboard, and share their first with their
hometown for a month.
Escaping the Everyday
To support the campaign, we also brought
some of the firsts experienced onboard
a Carnival cruise to out-of-home and television,
allowing consumers the chance to get into
the spirit of trying something new.
Placements in malls allowed consumers
to set foot on a Mayan pyramid or escape
underwater into a snorkeling excursion,
as well as virtually demo aspects of the
cruising experience for friends or family.
The television reinforced the power of
first-time experiences for both families
and couples. It also encouraged viewers
to get involved on Facebook by responding
to the question, "What have you always
wanted to do?"
