The Scenario
The first ship in a new cruise line in an already saturated cruise ship industry was in need of finding its way onto the media’s radar. Or, as the client put it, "We want it to be the most talked about ship pre -and post-launch during the 16-month period from build-out through its maiden season." In other words, get it noticed and get it booked.

The Solution
Adara crafted a campaign that mirrored the quality of the new cruise line and its first ship. Since members of the media do not normally cover a product under development, we had to entice them to do so. We created a compelling pre-launch program that included trips to venues all over the globe where soft goods were under construction for the new ship: to Pakistan, where rugs were being handmade; to France, where spa products were being crafted; and to Italy and Spain, where wines were being custom grown. In this way, the media was brought in direct contact with the level of quality and discernment that was to be the essence of the new cruise line.

A chromotrans — a floor to ceiling transparency — was commissioned for pre-launch press events. The chromotrans installation — the largest ever attempted by the Hollywood set community — was used to transform the grand ballrooms of hotels in four key U.S. markets. The installation gave a dramatic taste of the customer experience since the cruise line’s major selling point was that it offered more private balcony cabins than any cruise ship at the time.

At launch, special events were executed at each key port-of-call for the maiden cruise, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. The press materials all reflected the high-quality and unique environment that was being created by this truly one-of-a-kind onboard experience.

Our efforts resulted in a sold-out maiden season and in the vessel being named "Ship of the Year" by the Los Angeles Times. To this day, the cruise line has a solid reputation for being the leader in its field.