Land vs. Sea

Take a vacation from your typical vacation

In a down economy, people were cutting spending everywhere. Cheaper groceries, fewer nights out, leftovers. The family vacation, when still possible, had become a shade of itself — road trips, stay-cations, nearby amusement parks, camping. And, worst of all, the dreaded "trip to see the relatives."

Carnival wanted to remind people how awful a land-based vacation could be. That a Carnival cruise was of a similar cost, but without the hassle and compromise people took for granted on land. Comparing the two provided context for the majority of America that had never been on a cruise, and didn't know how it stacked up against the old standbys.

The campaign focused on cities with a nearby Carnival port. Pushing against local vacation favorites like Six Flags, Great Wolf Lodge, or Atlantic City, we reminded people how close a Carnival cruise truly was. We extended our story by highlighting different land-based scenarios (and their corresponding pain points) in targeted online videos, banners and O.O.H.