The Covid-19 pandemic means that the cruise industry needs to think anew how it wants to communicate with its potential customers and it may even have to rethink its entire business model, panelists at a webinar that was part of Seatrade Cruise Virtual said.
The outbreak of the pandemic has shown the industry the importance of loyal customers and highlighted the ability to drastically change its plans as events have unfolded. The speakers highlighted the importance of story telling in the marketing communication of the industry – as Janet Bava, Chief Marketing Officer of AmaWaterways said, people are e.g. watching longer videos now than what they did before the crisis, which is positive and opens up possibilities. The panelists agreed that messages from the industry should be increasingly personalised.
But Carolyn Spencer Brown, Chief Content Officer at Cruise Media LLC that publishes cruisebusiness.com, asked how can you tell a story that resonates with potential passengers and pivots on dreams when the industry has been forced to shut down a vast part of its operations for some six months.
Barbara Muckermann, Chief Marketing Officer at Silversea Cruises, said that the message will have to remember the dream aspect and not to solely focus on health protocols and other safety related matters, yet it should at the same time be reassuring. And while Christopher Nurko, Chief Innovation Officer at Interbrand C Space Group, agreed, he also pointed out that the entire travel ecosystem now must answer health protocol questions, but it also has to reinforce a sense of confidence.
Ellen Asmodeo-Giglio, a luxury travel and lifestyle expert who spent 10 years as Chief Revenue Officer at AFAR, pointed out that it will probably be more difficult to attract newcomers on ships than before, which calls for a closer cooperation between a wide range of actors in the travel, hospitality and retail sectors. The role of media has not been entirely encouraging.
Mainstream media has sensationalised events, online platforms provide great opportunity
The media’s role is important in helping the industry to get back on track, but this may mean an uphill struggle, Spencer Brown pointed out. While the trade media has shown understanding towards the challenges that the cruise industry has faced, the mainstream media has often carried sensationalist headlines about events onboard ships. The number of clicks a headline attracts is a powerful driver in today’s world for the mainstream media.
Asmodeo-Giglio noted that at the same time this all has happened, the audiences have remained engaged, yet there has been virtually no advertising since the outbreak of the crisis. Shifting the narrative is the task of the cruise industry and not of the media: this it can best achieve by inspiring people.
Bava pointed out that the industry needs to ensure that facts are exactly correct in the reports that appear on mainstream media, which has not always been the cade during this crisis. It means that the industry needs to educate the mainstream media about how it works and the complexities that are involved.
All this happens against the background of a media landscape that is quickly changing: Spencer Brown asked about the experience the industry has with new platforms that allow passengers to produce generic content of their own.
The panelists agreed that digital online platforms had opened new possibilities to the industry to communicate directly with consumers. Equally crucial, these platforms, which include Facebook, also permit customers and the general public to discuss the industry directly.
One reasonably new development, in addition to cruise lines' own Facebook pages, which they control, is the advent of private Facebook groups. These are run by private individuals -- including fans of the cruise lines and even cruise journalists. Cruise companis may participate but do not have control over the conversations.
Many of the members of these groups are very knowledgeable about the line in question and Bava said these people often help to clarify things and they also defend the line in question or the wider industry.
Another way that cruise lines are telling stories is through the staff and crew, a great asset as they have bonded and connected with regular guests and are more personable than corporate fodder.
Entire business model for marketing and sales is ripe for change
Nurko widened the angle by asking whether the entire business model of the cruise industry should be redrawn. “You need to rethink the business model, marketing and sales. You don’t sell ships or excursions – what are we actually selling and what do people buy,” he asked.
He also pointed out that the user engaged content online has changed over time and video has overtaken text in importance. “People want to become brands themselves. Millennials and Generation Z’ers want to be the story, you’ve got to multiply their story,” he said, adding that this makes these people enablers to brands.
Muckermann agreed and said that this means that the story of a cruise line must be a solid communications strategy, so that it will not be distorted. Nurko continued by saying there is no point in suggesting that a brand offers everything to everyone - it is important also to point out what kind of people are outside the radar of the line.
However, he also pointed out that innovation did not mean “tinkering with the edges.” He suggested that the cruise industry may have to retool its business and focus on rethinking the overall experience and value proposition that it offers. The focus should not be wasted on operational aspects as “old models are not around any more.”
