Celebrity's Chief Marketing Officer leaves for other opportunities

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

Well in my company, marketing develops a strategy and design for the marketing campaign , IT is responsible for the integrity of the website, if I have an IT issue I don't call a marketing manager, I call the service desk.  Finance crunches the numbers at which they can make a profit, CEO signs off on it and marketing helps implement.  Now if you will please excuse me, I need to go and help TeeRick and Fouremco market their new C3PO and R2D2 variant strategies, they have many emails to send on this.  I have been assigned finding links to each.

Well how nice for your company. I have to wonder what your company markets? It's all well and good to send IT in to fix some functionality with the website but do they choose the content, select the images write the copy? No I don't think they do. What the website does, the information it presents that is part of marketing, how it does that is IT. Indeed finance sets the "Price" making the price palatable is marketing. You can ask whatever you want for whatever product, be it whatever widget your company markets or the very expense cabinets the company I work for makes, the key is getting people to pay it. For us people ask us to create their vision and we deliver their vision and for that service they pay a substantial sum.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Blackduck59

[hcat]

13 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Celebrity's CMO has left the company.  This is the person that brought us, AI, Sail Beyond Borders, Wonder Awaits, Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle brand and evolved modern luxury into whatever it is today.  It should be interesting to see the new direction for the Celebrity brand.  Does anyone have any suggestions for the new marketing officer?

Happy news! 

Hope X will move away from  many of these wierd adventures,...many with edgy  overtones.  Most people did not relate to it , and many  of the ideas and associated marketing have already fallen away.

 

Esp now..X needs to elevate  good food,  upscale service, solid entertainment/ music  and  a good gym, relaxation and spa services  And an improved loyalty program for past guests.   Back to the Basics that made X stand out.

[Jeremiah1212]

It’s not that surprising in this industry. He had a large umbrella. In the past year I’m sure he was paralyzed by lack of a budget to really do anything at all. Being told you can’t do your job because there is no money to do it gets old after a while. 

[mahdnc]

Here is a 2018 podcast when Peter Giorgi was a guest on CMO Spotlight, a series run by Wharton Business Radio: https://player.acast.com/wbr-guest/episodes/peter-giorgi

 

And a more recent one (2020) titled Getting Back to "Better Than Normal":  https://www.listennotes.com/embedded/e/71f9731d9e0c46a09d0e8142cd6bee14/

[LGW59]

19 minutes ago, hcat said:

Happy news! 

Hope X will move away from  many of these wierd adventures,...many with edgy  overtones.  Most people did not relate to it , and many  of the ideas and associated marketing have already fallen away.

 

Esp now..X needs to elevate  good food,  upscale service, solid entertainment/ music  and  a good gym, relaxation and spa services  And an improved loyalty program for past guests.   Back to the Basics that made X stand out.

I think Celebrity has Edge right where they (and I) want it, I loved everything about it and cannot wait to see what they have done with Apex.  Sorry but it just is not our grandmothers line any longer, and IMO, that is a very good thing.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

I think Celebrity has Edge right where they (and I) want it, I loved everything about it and cannot wait to see what they have done with Apex.  Sorry but it just is not our grandmothers line any longer, and IMO, that is a very good thing.  

My grandmother's line was Cunard.  The problem is that Celebrity isn't MY line any longer...

[NMTraveller]

5 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

My grandmother's line was Cunard.  The problem is that Celebrity isn't MY line any longer...

What is your favorite line?

[LGW59]

9 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

My grandmother's line was Cunard.  The problem is that Celebrity isn't MY line any longer...

Well whatever you decide, just stay away from the SS Minnow

[Host Jazzbeau]

7 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

What is your favorite line?

At the moment, Azamara.  Trying Oceania again in January, thinking it may be what Celebrity should have become.

[Blackduck59]

6 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

My grandmother's line was Cunard.  The problem is that Celebrity isn't MY line any longer...

 

Not so fast, when it turns out that the new target "Demographic" won't cough up the cash for the product they are selling there will be changes made. I have enjoyed Celebrity because of the stuff they don't have, we save to be able to enjoy this more upscale product. If the new direction is towards ugly ships with features that don't suit me then I guess it will be time to move to another product. For now I think the solstice class have a few more years in them so we'll see what the future holds.

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

 

Not so fast, when it turns out that the new target "Demographic" won't cough up the cash for the product they are selling there will be changes made. I have enjoyed Celebrity because of the stuff they don't have, we save to be able to enjoy this more upscale product. If the new direction is towards ugly ships with features that don't suit me then I guess it will be time to move to another product. For now I think the solstice class have a few more years in them so we'll see what the future holds.

Maybe.  I've seen with other lines that CEOs have the ability to run the ship aground pretty disastrously before 'changes are made.'

[TeeRick]

19 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Well I'm going to throw my 2 cents in. I think many can agree that "Marketing" has not been a strong point for Celebrity. Always included was really not handled well, many of us already had a choice of "perks" included in the booking, the thing was we could choose the perks that were "included in the price". Now you don't get to choose and Celebrity has upset many loyal customers who's "loyalty" points are useless (in their minds) because they are now paying an "always included" price and not getting anything "extra" for their loyalty.

Is "marketing" responsible for the website? If they are that's another fail. I've lost track of how many comments I have read on multiple Celebrity threads as to how poor the website is.

We can hope that a new leader may get the team back on track, for a marketing campaign to succeed people have to believe they are getting a deal; if people believe they have been hosed they will look elsewhere...Marketing fail.

Hi Blackduck- my 2 cents back at you.  So now the entire thread is worth 4 cents.  Canadian or American?  If Canadian worth about 3 cents American.😀

 

Anyway- Marketing might not be a strong point for Celebrity in the eyes of some veteran cruisers here on CC.  But pre-pandemic, Celebrity was on a a real roll.  Filling up every sailing.  Premium pricing for a mass main stream line.  New ships advertised with a waiting list for cabins a year in advance.   I can go on and on.  Many people were responding by buying the product at a higher price.  So was marketing really not a strong suit?  The website is not a marketing issue.

[tfred]

I would have to agree that X was doing something right - a few new builds (not cheap to construct those), refit existing ships.  You don't do that unless there is good cash flow.  That probably means their direction was working and could prove it to investors.  They aren't building $Billion ships on a hunch.  If the words "nominal cost", "deal" and "sit in the room and watch free movies" are part of your argument - I would look elsewhere

 

Something that they should look at is making sure that there are options in the Royal Caribbean Group that you can move up or down to.  Marriott has a dozen brands and I have stayed at most of them.  I get recognized,I know the service level is consistent and I won't have any worries about the experience.  I just pick my price/value point and go.  That being said, you don't always get all the perks as you move up and I am OK with that. I am pretty happy with free wifi and breakfast if that is what it is 

 

It would help assuage the grumpy X anti-AI crowd since RCCL is generally less expensive and al carte (and now building suites on new builds) and with Silversea help the X suite pax who are looking at a smaller ship.  I did talk to a Silversea rep the other day about a 2023 Med cruise and he said they can do something as an existing X cruiser (even at my low level) to keep you in the family.  They probably need to formalize the knowledge that there is a family of brands in both directions

[DirtyDawg]

On 4/25/2021 at 7:11 AM, ipeeinthepool said:

Does anyone have any suggestions for the new marketing officer?

 

How about the Mayor character from the Jaws movie, Larry Vaughn. Hey, if he could get people to come out to  Amity Island while a BIG Shark was devouring the swimmers, he'd be able to get some folks back on X. 🦈

And he knows about boats! 😁

 

[LGW59]

31 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

 

How about the Mayor character from the Jaws movie, Larry Vaughn. Hey, if he could get people to come out to  Amity Island while a BIG Shark was devouring the swimmers, he'd be able to get some folks back on X. 🦈

And he knows about boats! 😁

 

I’m recommending our national treasure, Dolly Parton, that lady knows a thing or TWO about marketing.

Edited April 26, 2021 by LGW59

[Orator]

The Marketing Manager will be selected by LLP and responsible to her and reflect the policies established by RCL. IMHO, it really doesn't matter who it is or the talents they bring with them. 

[ipeeinthepool]

33 minutes ago, Orator said:

The Marketing Manager will be selected by LLP and responsible to her and reflect the policies established by RCL. IMHO, it really doesn't matter who it is or the talents they bring with them. 

 

Not really how it works.  The CMO will develop a strategy to increase profits for Celebrity.  LLP and the her team will review and agree with the strategy and work to implement the policy.  If they don't like the strategy they will be looking for a new CMO.  If they accept the strategy and it doesn't work, there may be a new CMO and CEO.

[Orator]

7 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Not really how it works.  The CMO will develop a strategy to increase profits for Celebrity.  LLP and the her team will review and agree with the strategy and work to implement the policy.  If they don't like the strategy they will be looking for a new CMO.  If they accept the strategy and it doesn't work, there may be a new CMO and CEO.

Ideally it should work that way. But "should" means "ought to" and not necessarily so. 

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, Orator said:

Ideally it should work that way. But "should" means "ought to" and not necessarily so. 

It "does" work that way.  The CMO will report to the CEO, during interview process CEO will share her vision, the candidate will discuss it, and if CEO feels it is a fit, they will receive an offer.  After that, they will work together to implement.  From there, it is anybody's guess, but ultimately, CEO has the final say.   

[hcat]

18 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I think Celebrity has Edge right where they (and I) want it, I loved everything about it and cannot wait to see what they have done with Apex.  Sorry but it just is not our grandmothers line any longer, and IMO, that is a very good thing.  

Loved EDGE  on both our cruises on her...but not the initial creepy wandering EDENIST characters who intruded on one's space, the  sophmoric first EDEN show,   the  late night activity in the Club where you were given a role to play,  Goop (  my  interp of it ....a way to make money from a  pseudo uber feminist appoach to one's body,  to put it kindly...). Many ideas that flopped!  Also not a fan of the animation dinner..one or none and done.

 

  In the past many similar ideas were introduced and ended...like the Bar at the Edge  on M Class with the  bordello style beds and hanging rags and wandering creepies, ..who liked that???

 

As EDGE evolved it matured to it's current state,.great art,  decor, music, ambiance and entertainment in various venues. Edgy but classy

 

BTW, Not all grandmothers are fuddy duddies as you  perceive them to be....mine was very cool!

[TeaBag]

Very interesting thread.  It will be interesting to see what develops.

[tfred]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

It "does" work that way.  The CMO will report to the CEO, during interview process CEO will share her vision, the candidate will discuss it, and if CEO feels it is a fit, they will receive an offer.  After that, they will work together to implement.  From there, it is anybody's guess, but ultimately, CEO has the final say.   

This is how it works

[Keys Kathy]

Personally, I don't care what the program de jour is. There prices are out of site. The price for 1 passenger is more than the price we are paying for both of us on both the cruises we booked.

 

We are in suites, so it is not the new AI change.

 

As to the Edge being book out, if I recall correctly, it was often on Exiting Deals. 

[Keys Kathy]

1 hour ago, Keys Kathy said:

1 hour ago, Keys Kathy said:

Personally, I don't care what the program de jour is. There prices are out of site. The price for 1 passenger is more than the price we are paying for both of us on both the cruises we booked.

 

We are in suites, so it is not the new AI change.

 

As to the Edge being book out, if I recall correctly, it was often on Exiting Deals. 

 

1 hour ago, Keys Kathy said:

Personally, I don't care what the program de jour is. There prices are out of site. The price for 1 passenger is more than the price we are paying for both of us on both the cruises we booked.

 

We are in suites, so it is not the new AI change.

 

As to the Edge being book out, if I recall correctly, it was often on Exiting Deals. 

prices are out of site. The price for 1 passenger is more than the price we are paying for both of us on both the cruises we booked.

 

We are in suites, so it is not the new AI change.

 

As to the Edge being book out, if I recall correctly, it was often on Exiting Deals. 

I meant THEIR prices, sorry about that.

[TeaBag]

7 minutes ago, Keys Kathy said:

I meant THEIR prices, sorry about that.

I think you meant sight also.  I completely agree with you.