Situation:  Windstar Cruises was gaining great momentum as a brand and wanted to quickly increase capacity to carry more guests.  Rather than wait in line for 2-3 years to build a new ship, the decision was made to “stretch” three of the existing ships by cutting them in half, inserting a new section, and then stitching them back together.
It’s a fascinating engineering feat, but doesn’t come with the excitement (or budget) associated with a new ship build and new ship introduction.

Our solution: Hold a snazzy press event at the largest annual cruise industry conference. Invite all of the Whose Who in cruise media to unveil the news. Grab the last time slot of the day so the media can rest their tired feet, enjoy a glass of chilled bubbly, and be the first to hear about the revolutionary undertaking. Be willing to administer some crowd control as the media rushed to try on the Virtual Reality Goggles and view the stunning renderings of the finished product.

(And, as a bonus: Have the president of the shipyard declare from the podium that it’s “…the most complex ship renovation in the history of ship building…”)

Results: Record breaking coverage! Generated the most publicity for the brand to date. Quickly landed us on the travel advisors’ short list of brands to consider. Generated over 230 articles in publications like Forbes, Conde Nast Traveler, and many trade publications.

Exceeded 80 million impressions
Facebook Live of Event: 11,500 people reached
VR Goggle Display experienced by 45 additional viewers outside the press event