CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., which are part of World Travel Holdings — the world’s largest cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company, are launching an integrated marketing campaign “Do you want to build a snowman or a sandcastle?” to attract new consumers to cruise in warm weather climates. The multi-faceted campaign, which is entirely funded by the CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. corporate headquarters, includes a traditional onboard credit promotion, an online video contest and a charitable component benefiting Make-A-Wish®.
“This campaign is intended to get consumers thinking about going somewhere warm on their next vacation,” said Rosemarie Reed, vice president of marketing for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. “The attractive promotion and interactive element coupled with the aftermath of the record-breaking snow storms around the country, we are confident that this marketing campaign will be a hit among consumers.”
The first part of the campaign is a consumer promotion offering up to a $250 onboard credit for 7-night cruises booked between Feb. 20 and March 2 for sailings between March 16 and Dec. 31, 2015. The offer is valid for up to five guests in an ocean view or higher stateroom.
To create buzz and garner agent involvement with this campaign, the company also is hosting an internal fundraiser encouraging all CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. vacation specialists to post their own personal sandcastle building videos. For every video a CruiseOne or Cruises Inc. vacation specialist posts online, the corporate office will make a donation to its signature charity Make-A-Wish.
CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. also will be hosting an online contest where consumers can submit videos of themselves building sandcastles to any CruiseOne or Cruises Inc. Facebook page and use the hashtag #DoYouWantToBuildASandCastle. The consumer with the winning video will be awarded a free 7-night cruise.
“We strive to provide our vacation specialists with innovative marketing programs that will help them grow their business each year,” added Reed. “We are able to do so by leveraging our affiliation with World Travel Holdings, and also by backing more than $350,000 in corporately-funded consumer marketing programs that are exclusive to CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., such as offering free onboard credit, complimentary port parking and even social media support.”
CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.’s multi-tiered marketing program ensures that its vacation specialists are always in front of existing and potential customers. The companies use a segmentation technique to qualify which customers receive direct mailings, and also sends weekly emails on behalf of its vacation specialists highlighting consumer promotions,travel tips and more. CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. also spends more than $1 million annually in lead generation to increase brand awareness, generate leads and drive continuous web traffic.
