Celebrity Cruises has run a new ‘perceptual challenge‘ campaign to help prove that many of the preconceptions held about cruising are false, and that cruises are a holiday that even the doubters would love.
Before the campaign began, the cruise line commissioned research that shows that 41% of adults thought that cruising was an expensive holiday, and 36% believed that cruises were exclusively for an older crowd.
22% of people asked associated cruises with negative experiences, including cheesy entertainment, spending limited time in any particular destination, and overcrowding.
The campaign then involved the cruise line advertising a brand new ‘Apex Resort‘ coming in 2024. The cruise line kept their involvement secret – instead, the participants in the research were shown a series of images that showcased the Celebrity Apex and her best features, but marketed as a new ‘land’ resort.
It was then revealed to the participants that the resort was actually a cruise ship, and the impact on the participants was profound.
59% of those taking part changed their minds about cruising upon the reveal. 78% of the Millennials taking part in the study, and 74% of Gen Z holidaymakers, said that they were now completely open to booking a cruise holiday.
The pricing misconception was also shattered – with a 13-night cruise on Celebrity Apex compared to a similar all-inclusive stay at a 5* resort. The cruise was as much as 52% cheaper!
Our aim of teasing Celebrity Apex as a land based resort was to challenge the perception of cruise holidays and showcase all this innovative ship has to offer. By presenting it as a resort experience we showed that Celebrity Apex combines the best of both worlds: the intimacy of a beautiful resort with the boundless possibilities and breath-taking destinations from a resort at sea.
Jo Rzymowska, Vice President & Managing Director, EMEA for Celebrity Cruises
The campaign was launched to celebrate Celebrity Apex sailing from Southampton in May 2024.
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