Celebrity's New Ad Campaign : Answer the call of Modern Luxury

[cruiserhal]

Hi Everyone

 

Hope this works.... I'm using my phone at the moment.

 

Here's a link to one of the TV ads. Sorry to say, but I'm not loving this particular ad. Not getting the Marco Polo emphasis. Do you agree ?

 

https://amp.twimg.com/v/6c5fc045-9cc8-44c1-8804-40f10d7e9287

 

Maybe it's just me, but Celebrity's ships are absolutely gorgeous. I'd rather see the $$$ spent, delivering that message.

 

Curious to see Your thoughts.

 

Thanks for posting this ad Andy. Gosh - to put it mildly - it stinks! Marco...Polo is Modern Luxury?

 

Today I asked my TA to get us prices on 2 other lines because I think it is time to move on. First time for a long time we will not be doing a Celebrity cruise at all this year. I'll miss the Elite Plus benefits but I just don't understand where Celebrity is going except away from my type of cruising.

 

Hal

[Northern Aurora]

When we have work done on our home we use the same contractor -- he certainly isn't the cheapest in our area but we find both the owner of the company and his staff to be extremely competent and do excellent work. The cheapest bid is rarely the best in these situations.

 

Given the focus on cost cutting and saving a small amount of money here and there I wonder if the "powers that be" in Miami selected the cheapest ad agency. If they did, they received what they paid for.

[Iamcruzin]

Marco Polo is also a kidsgame where you are blind folded and call out Marco. The others respond with Polo so the blinded one can track and eventually tag someone. Sometimes it's played in a yard. Sometimes in a pool.

 

Interesting that Celebrity is casting itself as the one wearing the blindfold.

 

Interesting or appropriate?

[ChucktownSteve]

Interesting or appropriate?

 

Spot on appropriate

[ghstudio]

I'll repeat a statement that I made a few pages back....we are only seeing one ad....we aren't seeing the total advertising program. IMHO, the only purpose this ad can serve is for viewers to see "celebrity cruises"....so it becomes more of a familiar name/brand. It does little other than to tease...there is really no message other than perhaps "feel good" (although I don't see that). Surely there will be other ads that show Celebrity ships, activities on board, pictures of rooms...all, of course, with no white haired folks because they are appealing to the "next generation". But let's wait before we completely dis the ad agency or Celebrity.

 

Don't get me wrong though...I think they are making a big mistake doing the advertising without the product matching the hoped for hype...or the web pages not being high quality (being kind here). If there's a fail, it's the ad agency not asking...what happens if someone actually calls or goes to your web site? Yes, Celebrity has perhaps put a fix in place..they hired accenture...but their deliverable is lightyears away...and celebrity is spending advertising dollars now. People see the ad and while they are watching TV, they sign on to the web site.

 

So let's be patient...celebrity doesn't much care about our views anyway...heck, many if not most of us aren't the target audience for the ads.

But this does make for an interesting CC thread anyway.

Edited January 13, 2016 by ghstudio

[ChucktownSteve]

I'll repeat a statement that I made a few pages back....we are only seeing one ad....we aren't seeing the total advertising program. IMHO, the only purpose this ad can serve is for viewers to see "celebrity cruises"....so it becomes more of a familiar name/brand. It does little other than to tease...there is really no message other than perhaps "feel good" (although I don't see that).

 

I'll repeat advice a mentor shared with me in the 1970's about his definition of institutional advertising. He said it's like them standing on a street corner, wear a dark suit and peeing down their leg. They get a warm feeling but nobody notices.

 

I do agree with you that Celebrity should have had their ducks in a row by having the customer experience systems fixed before trying to attract a new, younger target that won't have the patience to keep trying like an established customer who is no longer their target.

Edited January 13, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[K.T.B.]

A friend of mine who is a die hard Carnival cruiser (well over 15 cruises) saw the ad. My wife and I had been talking to her and her husband about possibly joining us for our upcoming cruise on Celebrity. They were thinking about it.... until the ad. ZERO interest now.

 

On the plus side, they can now "babysit" our cats for us when we're gone. :) But if that's going to be the reaction from people who love to cruise, I'm wondering now how non-cruisers will react.

[AtleeH]

But ads from 15 years ago are so non "Modern Luxury".

 

I also bet that the target audience for those ads have no clue who Marco Polo is.

 

If a ship's officer standing on the prow doing a Leonardo DiCaprio as he calls out "Marco" does anything to provide "Modern Luxury" I will be very surprised.

 

I would rather they used a few ads from 15 years ago and brought back "Exceeding Expectations" which they did manage to accomplish.

 

bosco

[AtleeH]

The only thing in that ad that gets my attention is the possibility of saving $2100 +/-.

 

The rest of the ad does nothing.

 

I would think emphasizing the ship would turn more heads than referencing some long dead Italian who once traveled to China, which most of those folks in the ad would have no clue who he is.

 

I sure liked the looks/feel/service of Silhouette last January, and hope I have a similar reaction in a couple of weeks on board the Reflection.

 

Well that ad is a lot about nothing. It doesn't draw my attention, excite me or compel to further inquire about the cruise line. The slogan is good but I just don't want to answer that call the way it's being portrayed . This ad makes the Princess "Come Back New" ads look good. I'm new to Celebrity so I don't miss the old days, but to tell you the truth for what they offer, they have a hell of a nerve to think their product is worth more than the other mass market lines. Like others have said sipping Champaign or standing in a buffet line while shlepping bags around isn't modern of luxurious. I guess they are hopping that by raising prices passenger will be psychologically fooled into thinking they are purchasing a luxury experience.

Edited January 13, 2016 by AtleeH

[TravelerThom]

The only thing in that ad that gets my attention is the possibility of saving $2100 +/-...

Nothing turns me off faster than "too good to be true" ads. Any ad that tells me how much I am going to "save" does nothing but raise a red flag that the list price is fictitious, and I think "gee, it was grossly overpriced, but now it is merely still overpriced". I can "save" lots more money by not buying overpriced products at all. This terrible ad would have been slightly better with no mention of money (and much more in line with freeing Celebrity from the “mud” of price-focused competition).

 

Thom

[ORV]

I'm sure there are many many people that have no real idea who Marco Polo is, yet know the pool game that has been played for years. I'm pretty sure it's more about the game than the explorer.

 

Still stupid.

[ISABELLA]

When we have work done on our home we use the same contractor -- he certainly isn't the cheapest in our area but we find both the owner of the company and his staff to be extremely competent and do excellent work. The cheapest bid is rarely the best in these situations.

 

Given the focus on cost cutting and saving a small amount of money here and there I wonder if the "powers that be" in Miami selected the cheapest ad agency. If they did, they received what they paid for.

 

And most of us, by the time we cruise with all minimizing changes, we would not be getting what we paid for.:rolleyes:

[ChucktownSteve]

And most of us, by the time we cruise with all minimizing changes, we would not be getting what we paid for.:rolleyes:

 

So what you're suggesting is Celebrity should have used a Houdini theme in their ad? :D

[Ma Bell]

I'm sure there are many many people that have no real idea who Marco Polo is, yet know the pool game that has been played for years. I'm pretty sure it's more about the game than the explorer.

 

Still stupid.

 

What would really be nice is if they could explain what they mean by "Modern Luxury". The game playing theme is definitely appropriate.

 

I have always loved Celebrity but they need to stop the game playing.

[ISABELLA]

So what you're suggesting is Celebrity should have used a Houdini theme in their ad? :D

 

Maybe they should try to show people exactly what they will experience taking Celebrity cruise, all aspects that make people to book another Celebrity cruise, but not guessing what on earth they are talking about in this Ad...

Celebrity, in general, has very good product. Drastic improvement of their website is required for a " Modern Luxury" company and more trained customer service will be a beneficial. Sometime adding a different ingredient ruins the recipe.

[Sandy1975]

I just saw two cruise company commercials in less than an hour on the same cable channel. One was for MSC and the other Royal Caribbean. Both offered something free. I thought the MSC ad was the strongest I've seen in awhile.

 

It was to the tune of In the Summertime but reworded to the things to do on the cruise with people having fun. The hook was Balcony cabins two for one. But before the offer, you were drawn in with the both music and activity. The commercial was more fun than playing Marco Polo. Just MHO; YMMV.

 

The MSC Divina ad is the one that catches my eye every time it is on TV. I find myself wondering if I am missing something by not trying it because the add makes it look like a fun and sophisticated ship. Maybe we will allocate some $$$ to Divina in the future...

[Iamcruzin]

So what you're suggesting is Celebrity should have used a Houdini theme in their ad? :D

 

I think a three card monte game would be a more appropriate game than Marco Polo

[maggie.1008]

The reason I keep coming back to X is the crew. How about an ad that shows those smiling faces.

[ORV]

The reason I keep coming back to X is the crew. How about an ad that shows those smiling faces.

 

Have you seen the ad? It does feature crew members.

[AtleeH]

Yes, I've seen it. There are a few shots of the crew calling the name of a long, long dead Italian traveler/adventurer.

 

They should be showing off the new S Class ships, IMO, along with the staff doing their thing aboard said ship.

 

 

 

Have you seen the ad? It does feature crew members.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I just thought of something: if the regular Celebrity ships have the tagline "Answer the Call of Modern Luxury," shouldn't Xpedition's line be "Answer the Call of Nature"? Oh wait, that has another connotation! :D:D:D

[Texed]

I just thought of something: if the regular Celebrity ships have the tagline "Answer the Call of Modern Luxury," shouldn't Xpedition's line be "Answer the Call of Nature"? Oh wait, that has another connotation! :D:D:D

 

Now, that's funny, I don't care who you are. :)

[Alsmez]

I also bet that the target audience for those ads have no clue who Marco Polo is.

 

If the target audience is 20s-30s, then I'm pretty sure we all "get" this ad. I'm in my late 30s, and Marco Polo was a VERY popular pool game when I was a kid. It was still popular with kids when I was a young adult lifeguard. However, even though I get the Marco Polo thing and the "answer the call" bit, it doesn't appeal to me at all. While all of the people in the ad are adults, Marco Polo is a kids' game, and the last thing I want on a "luxurious" cruise is a bunch of kids in the pool. The fact that Celebrity caters less to families with children than other lines do is one of the main reasons I sail with them, and this is something they should NOT lose sight of if they want to continue to attract a younger crowd (DINKs, of course, but also people with kids who want to leave them with Grandma so they can enjoy a luxurious adult vacation).

 

I think it is absolutely possible for Celebrity to create an air of luxury and market themselves in a way that differentiates them from the other mass market lines, but they ABSOLUTELY have to back it up or they will lose new young customers after one cruise (or one trip to the horrible website). While younger people generally don't care about white-gloved butlers escorting us around and opening doors, we do care A LOT about interesting food and drinks; excellent but unobtrusive service; high-quality, varied entertainment; beautiful, modern decor; lack of crowds and plenty of privacy; the ability to do what we want, when we want.

 

We have our third X cruise coming up and I am interested to see how the new suite structure, built-in drink packages and other changes since our last cruise in 2014 will have changed the overall feel of the experience.

[teecee60]

 

Hi Everyone, I thought today's news from Seatrade Cruise news would be of interest to our community.

 

'Answer the call of Modern Luxury'—Celebrity's major new thrust

 

'We are reaching and attracting modern luxury travelers who have a desire for more authenticity, taste and higher expectations. We want to make sure we're tapping into the mindset and relating how Celebrity Cruises is so far superior and interesting,' Venables said.

 

'The cruise industry is pretty bankrupt with cliches,' he continued.

 

 

Lutoff-Perlo said VB&P decided to 'Celebrate what we do. Keep "Modern Luxury." We just need to tell our story in a more compelling way.'

 

The roots for the new campaign were planted last summer when Lutoff-Perlo was not satisfied the brand was moving forward fast enough.

 

 

Thanks for interesting information and the link Andy... I think some of it is quite telling...

 

I am fairly sure Mr. Venables had no idea he would be describing his own campaign in this way! :rolleyes:

 

Maybe Celebrity would move forward faster if Lutof-Perlo spent a little LESS on advertising clichés, and a little MORE on their customers. :cool:

 

 

I like the idea of "subtle music." Maybe they could relay this to the Miami DJs! :eek:

 

I could not have said that any better...;)

Edited January 14, 2016 by teecee60

[ChucktownSteve]

I just thought of something: if the regular Celebrity ships have the tagline "Answer the Call of Modern Luxury," shouldn't Xpedition's line be "Answer the Call of Nature"? Oh wait, that has another connotation! :D:D:D

 

Wouldn't that give the phrase, "going overboard" a whole different meaning? :D:D:D