Who Is VV Targeted To?

[CruizinKittie40]

Looks to me like a more mature crowd, not necessarily in age but in demand.  A peaceful, calm experience with food and WIFI included.  Plus no kids!! SIGN ME UP! 

 

This year's family trip is to Australia but i'm definitely going to make this my next cruise. 

[EBRB]

Glad to see we won’t be the only ones in our 40’s and 50’s 🥳 Age is just a state of mind anyway. We’re into fitness and fun and can’t wait to sail on VV!

[trystran72]

I'm in that 40 to 50 crowd - I'm super excited to go and try out the line! Hoping to go over Thanksgiving week.  Looking forward to first reports back about what we can expect.

[Midwestgal]

I’m thinking 21 to 40 tops. Looks to be more of a younger demographic with the things they have on the ship. Tattoo parlor, boxing ring, and the sun pads type of pool area. 
Don’t see much personal space ....guess time will tell. 
I couldn’t imagine people who enjoy Princess , HAL , or Celebrity would enjoy this line.  

Edited January 23, 2020 by Midwestgal

[flgrl67]

Most of the people that I have seen so far on posts, as well as me and my wife, are in the 40-60-year old range. It's all about being open-minded and wanting something new in the cruising industry.  Bring on the tattoo parlors, drag brunches, 20+ specialty dining restaurants,  pool pads,  and no children. 

[mnocket]

My guess is that the demographics (and cruise experience) will be different than targeted for the first year or so.  I don't know how representative Cruise Critic posters are of the general demographic, but if Cruise Critic is any guide many of the "early adopters"  will be older and experienced cruisers - not the younger, first time cruisers they are trying to appeal to.  I do believe that over time the demographics will shift to better represent their target.  

[Lightngsvt]

On 1/23/2020 at 5:45 PM, Midwestgal said:

I’m thinking 21 to 40 tops. Looks to be more of a younger demographic with the things they have on the ship. Tattoo parlor, boxing ring, and the sun pads type of pool area. 
Don’t see much personal space ....guess time will tell. 
I couldn’t imagine people who enjoy Princess , HAL , or Celebrity would enjoy this line.  

Im a huge fan of Celebrity, even enjoyed Azamara.  We are booked for the 9/3/20 sailing, so we'll see how it goes.

[perditax]

I mentioned in another thread, but I don’t think VV’s marketing has really reached their target demo. I actually work with a lot of 30-somethings who have been on at least one cruise, and in some cases expensive ones, but none of them had heard of VV until I told them about them. Only one mentioned seeing TV commercials recently. I also noticed VV’s twitter doesn’t get much engagement (retweets etc).

 

Worth noting that the younger folks I know who have cruised usually can’t remember what cruise line or ship they were on ... not everyone is as obsessive as CC. So it may take some word of mouth from multi-generational cruise nerds like us. 

[flgrl67]

I actually haven't seen any of the Virgin cruise line commercials.  Where and when are they airing? Everyone is so concerned about being the targeted demographic based off the commercials,  so I just wondered where they are actually airing them.

[perditax]

25 minutes ago, flgrl67 said:

I actually haven't seen any of the Virgin cruise line commercials.  Where and when are they airing? Everyone is so concerned about being the targeted demographic based off the commercials,  so I just wondered where they are actually airing them.

I saw one in a restaurant last week—I’m pretty sure the TV in question was tuned to ESPN. East coast US.

[perditax]

 

[flgrl67]

9 hours ago, perditax said:

I saw one in a restaurant last week—I’m pretty sure the TV in question was tuned to ESPN. East coast US.

Oh, well that would explain it. I don't watch ESPN.😄

[timf2001]

I was skiing in Aspen in December and noticed many Virgin Voyages ads on the chairlifts.  I've also seen the TV ads several times.

[sid_9169]

Judging by the lack of action on the Virgin Voyages board in general, especially the roll call section, I would say that most people booked are much younger than the average contributor to Cruise Critic...

[perditax]

1 hour ago, sid_9169 said:

Judging by the lack of action on the Virgin Voyages board in general, especially the roll call section, I would say that most people booked are much younger than the average contributor to Cruise Critic...

 

I haven't had much luck with getting conversational buy-in on reddit either ... although I feel like RC and Carnival are over-represented there. 

[mnocket]

4 hours ago, sid_9169 said:

Judging by the lack of action on the Virgin Voyages board in general, especially the roll call section, I would say that most people booked are much younger than the average contributor to Cruise Critic...

 

It will be interesting to read the reviews once the ship starts sailing to see what the make-up of the passengers turns out to be.  Virgin is targeting young non-cruisers, but non-cruisers are unlikely to know about Virgin cruises unless they see the ads.  It takes a while for advertisements to build brand awareness.  I suspect that social media will be an important avenue once people have experienced the cruise line and start to post about it.  Until that takes effect, I'm guessing that the demographic will tilt towards older experienced cruisers.

[flgrl67]

Believe it or not...there are a large number of experienced cruisers especially here in Florida who don't even know about or go on CC. So, they are not represented here. I have spoken to many already booked or interested in VV but not on CC.

[Nightrythm]

Their Instagram has 166k followers. I'm definitely seeing engagement there.

[reallyme]

I am 61, my wife is younger.
We are booked in a free Seriously Suite in May, through URComped.com
 

[flgrl67]

There are a couple of FB pages for VV as well. So far, the age ranges reporting on there are mostly in the 40-60 year old range. Although,  I do get that the younger generations don't use FB as much.

[70KToM]

I've posted a demographic survey on this board, so you guys would fill that out, hopefully we'll get a better sense of how Virgin's audience compares to their target.

[rbt001]

There sure is a lot of speculation as to whom VV is targeting for their cruises.

 

Many have said Millennial's  

 

Someone else posted  "Virgin is targeting young non-cruisers..."  which common sense tells us is far from the truth.  Non-cruisers?  VV is smart enough to go after people that ENJOY cruises and know what they are all about, as opposed to people that have no desire to go on a cruise.  VV isn't foolish to think they can change people habits and fill their ships with people that haven't cruised before.

 

My belief is that VV with attract Gen X and Baby Boomers with disposable income.  People that have experience with cruise lines and that are looking to fill a void or shortcoming they've identified on their favorite line.  The children born to Gen X and Baby Boomers are adults and on their own, making it easier for these pre-retired individuals to pick up and go on a cruise. 

 

It would be surprising if seniors age 68 and older made up more than 15% of the passengers.  These folks are loyalists (top tier in loyalty programs) and would be giving up a considerable amount of perks they are used to on their current line when they sail VV and start at the bottom.  Additionally, VV's inclusive pricing probably raises fares above their price-points, since they prefer discounts and a la carte pricing.  

 

Another case against Millennial's is that they are of child-bearing age.  There's a good chance that if they have disposable income, they have started a family, making VV unsuitable for a family vacation.

 

Just my thoughts.  I'll see for my own eyes in 38 days.

 

 

 

 

[AlyssaJames]

11 minutes ago, rbt001 said:

 

Another case against Millennial's is that they are of child-bearing age.  There's a good chance that if they have disposable income, they have started a family, making VV unsuitable for a family vacation

But less chance than you think:

 

https://www.moneyunder30.com/are-millennials-really-having-fewer-kids

[rbt001]

9 minutes ago, AlyssaJames said:

But less chance than you think:

 

https://www.moneyunder30.com/are-millennials-really-having-fewer-kids

I read the article and it explains the correlation between lower birth rates and poor economic conditions.  Another article on the same website notes that Millennial's are "one of the poorest generations in years."  This is attributed to student debt and poor credit.  And both of those reasons are cited in the article you mention as reasons why Millennial's are deferring both marriage and having children.  

 

So...  in very general terms... broke Millennial's don't have kids nor money to take a VV cruise.  And Millennial's who are financial secure more likely have children.

 

Of course there are financially secure Millennial's without children who are candidates for VV.  But readings suggest this is not the norm.

 

 

[younglegend]

57 minutes ago, rbt001 said:

I read the article and it explains the correlation between lower birth rates and poor economic conditions.  Another article on the same website notes that Millennial's are "one of the poorest generations in years."  This is attributed to student debt and poor credit.  And both of those reasons are cited in the article you mention as reasons why Millennial's are deferring both marriage and having children.  

 

So...  in very general terms... broke Millennial's don't have kids nor money to take a VV cruise.  And Millennial's who are financial secure more likely have children.

 

Of course there are financially secure Millennial's without children who are candidates for VV.  But readings suggest this is not the norm.

 

 

Millennials are the largest living generation (overtook Boomers in 2019). To speak about them, their income, their family size in broad swaths is a fruitless exercise. This ship holds 2,800 passengers, there are probably enough high-income, children-less millennials to keep the boat afloat.  That said, I doubt their target is a single age cohort. It is most likely a combination of primary and secondary targets that includes non-cruisers, experienced cruisers who want something different and more modern, couples, and solo travelers. As they expand, they will likely expand their target audience. They've even said so much.

 

-A marketer who is also a millennial.