P&O Cruises sets sail with anniversary campaign
P&O Cruises, the Carnival Corp-owned cruise line, is to mark its 175th anniversary with a marketing campaign to promote the level of trust its consumers have in it.
The campaign kicks off this summer (3 July) with an event at Southampton that will see all seven ships in the P&O Cruises fleet come together for the first time ever.
The event will be supported by PR, CRM and press activity running to the end of 2012. Above-the-line activity is planned for later in the year.
Philip Price, head of brand marketing at P&O Cruises, says the commemorative campaign is not a “stick-on plaster exercise” for the cruise line and will have long-term benefits. The company plans to generate revenue from the anniversary campaign rather than just use it to raise awareness.
Price adds: “It’s become very en vogue for brands to promote their heritage without linking it to business objectives. We wanted our marketing activity to have real meaning and decided to use it as a platform to amplify the trust the brand has fostered over the years.
“We’re not M&S where people are going to walk into our showrooms everyday. To get on people’s agendas we’re using news to enhance the brand’s values starting with the event next month.”
The campaign launches just months after the sinking of the Carnival Corp-owned Costa Concordia. Price says the P&O Cruises’ marketing strategy had not been affected by the tragedy.
