4 minute read
Take inspiration from the cruise line hitting the big screen with a TV concept that ‘sells’ a lifestyle and from Traveltek software.
We live in an age where content is well and truly king, with travel brands and destinations using a range of media to bring their products alive. Experiential marketing, as it known, primarily pushed out through social media given the on-the-go digital world in which we live, aims to inspire consumers to book a trip and make their travel dreams a reality.
Travel companies and tourism boards are increasingly turning to video and virtual reality to enrich their content, while some are staging full-scale productions that make their showcase their product or destination. Carnival Corp is the latest travel firm to take the plunge. The cruise giant, which knows a lot about making ships, is now creating TV programmes too.
Three Original Shows Announced
The company announced this week that it has produced three original shows starring travel personalities and lots of cruise ships, with a view to airing them on US networks such as ABC, NBC and The CW on Saturday mornings – a slot deemed prime time for family viewing. Around 80 episodes will be broadcast between October this year and September 2017, with a view to revealing the vast range of experiences available to cruise guests, according to Carnival Corp’s Chief Experience and Innovation Officer, John Padgett.
The TV shows also aim to dispel common myths about cruising and promote the wide range of experiences on offer to cruisers of all ages. Two of the programmes, ‘Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin’ on ABC and ‘The Voyager with Josh Garcia’ on NBC feature each host taking part in activities offered by Carnival. Corwin, a well-known conservationist and host of Animal Planet, will focus on adventure experiences and Garcia, a video journalist who recently appeared on the Weather Channel show, Brainstorm, will explore culture, food and personalities in ports.
Padgett’s Take
Padgett says the goal of the show is to “authentically represent” what passengers can do during a cruise. In the past, several travel and cruise brands have been featured in TV programmes, from game shows and reality TV to feature films, but this marks the first time a cruise line has partnered with an independent company to develop and produce TV content and to syndicate it to television networks.
Each episode will feature the tagline ‘OCEAN by Carnival Corporation’, described as a ‘platform that connects people, places and cultures using original content programme’. Padgett says he expects the entire cruise industry to benefit from the shows as they showcase the concept of cruising to the travelling population.
Carnival’s large-scale production efforts spell good news for travel agents, tour operators and most definitely cruise specialists. Not only do they raise awareness of what modern cruising is all about, but demonstrate how the use of high-quality content can boost sales. Of course, most travel retailers and operators do not have the budget to fund dedicated TV shows, but when selling cruise or any other travel product, it’s important to provide as much customer insight as possible through good quality content.
How Technology Can Help Your Business
Traveltek’s CruisePro cruise selling solution provides up-to-date and comprehensive cruise content that’s designed to maximise cruise-selling opportunities, from cruise line and cruise ship descriptions to detailed cabin information and supporting images that bring the product to life.
We also give travel companies the option to make edits and additions based on their own product knowledge and experience. Using our cruise administration tool, agents can also upload their own images, write their own descriptions, add in extra details and even create their own cruise itineraries. No other cruise selling system on the market offers this level of content flexibility.
While the likes of Carnival are doing a great global PR job for the booming cruise industry, the travel trade, with a little help from Traveltek, can tap into the growing demand for cruise and provide clients with tempting, content-rich cruise options and itineraries.
