Princess Cruises

Solution

Targeting the right households was key to success. The objective was to distribute catalogues to households with a high propensity to buy from Princess Cruises, highlighting the importance of modelling, profiling, and selections.

It was decided a catalogue was the ideal format to meet Princess Cruises’ objectives. JICMAIL evidence supported catalogues sent to the home stay in the home for a considerable length of time. Royal Mail Marketreach research also showed that 60% of consumers enjoyed sitting down with catalogues and reading them in their own time. Catalogues deliver physical, sensory experiences with positive cognitive and emotional impacts on consumers.

Cost versus reach was an important consideration for the heavy Princess Cruises catalogue. At 15 pence per household, inclusive of media distribution and print costs, the door-drop media channel was selected as a cost-effective way of distribution.

Using customer data, including spend levels and audience insights, Princess Cruises and Whistl created a targeting decile model to identify key postcode sectors in England that would receive the catalogue.

The strategy had 6 approaches: 

1. Targeted marketing: which identified and targeted specific demographics and market segments that showed interest in cruise vacations
2. Emphasis on ‘experience’: highlighting exceptional on-board experience, unique destinations, and premium amenities
3. Digital presence: utilising a QR code to drive prospect customers online; and a user-friendly website to engage potential customers
4. Creative thinking: using compelling visuals, showcasing images in that catalogue and videos of the cruise ships on the website
5. Limited time offers: creating a sense of urgency with promotions and exclusive deals for new customers 
6. Educational content: providing information about cruising, destinations, packing tips and onboard activities to assist and engage potential travellers, with a clear breakdown of costs for different cruise packages

The output was a 12-page catalogue with the engaging headline ‘The VIP Sale’.  It was visually appealing, easy-to-understand and used high-quality graphics and images to capture attention and inspire people to cruise. It included a strong and clear call to action using a QR Code, phone number and a URL telling the audience what the brand wanted them to do next.  The QR code not only tracked response rates, but it also allowed Princess Cruises to understand which cruise holiday(s) were booked from each page of the door drop.  These insights would be used strategically to plan future campaigns.

The campaign was distributed in January, a key period for holiday brands to advertise, and a typical period for audiences to plan and book a holiday.