Are More SponsorSHIPS and Co-Branding coming?

[AdGuyMike]

I received my new C&A magazine today and browsed thru it. New small fomat. Neat fold-out map included. Well written articles including a Looking Back / Looking Ahead feature. Very nice.

 

I was struck however by the Page 4 ON DECK article about the New Balance partnership. The article talks about New Balance merchandise and a NB kiosk in the Get Out There onboard shop and in the fitness center. The article also talks about NB sponsoring Pentathalon & Ultimate Race events aboard Freedom Of The Seas and directs C&A members to sign up for New Balance's Club NB loyalty program and get a free gift.

 

With that said, I wanted to add my 2 cents about this and be forthcoming about the fact that my professional background is in marketing & advertising. Hence my CC username AdGuyMike. But inside AdGuyMike lives 2 different people. "Marketing Mike" and "Cruisin' Mike".

 

"Marketing Mike" sees it this way. Good score for both New Balance and Royal Carribbean. It's a win/win partnership for both companies. NB gets it's merchandise into an upscale fitness-oriented venue and RCCL gets a major (big $$$) compensation package from NB for product placement and promotion. A great way for the cruiseline to increase revenue without having to raise fares. How many posts have we seen on these CC boards about 1) the quality (or portion sizes) of the food not being what they used to be and 2) why do cruiselines "nickel and dime" passengers??? They never used to do this.

 

Generally the accepted reasons given are that like most businesses, cruiseline expenses and profit expectations increase year after year and rather than substantially raise fares, small corners can be cut here and there and "revenue enhancement opportunities" can compensate for fare increases. Anyone with a real world business sense knows this is true and an accepted fact of life.

 

However "Cruisin' Mike " sees this a bit differently and I'm not sure where to start. I guess I need to say that I (and my family) absolutely LOVE cruising (especially RCCL) and feel it's by far the best vacation value going. We're in our late 40's / early 50's and have teenage children. We have never experienced a bad cruise... have always received excellent service and attention... love the food... love the shows... have fun on our shore excursions... and have gotten many friends and family members addicted. We do the "doc dance" and we're the ones at the pier on disembarkation day that need to be pried off the ship with a crowbar. My first cruise was back in the early 80's and this is NOT going to be a dissertation about "way back when in the good old days" because quite frankly I feel the cruise experience is overall much better today than then.

 

Which I guess brings me to why I started this post in the first place. To me a cruise vacation is just that. A vacation. Without hauling out the Webster's Dictionary definition of a vacation, to me it's an opportunity to kind of unplug from the normal routine. Whether it's a 3 day weekender or a 7 day trip a cruise is a forced welcome way to turn off the cell phone, forget about business, forget about the bills and the troubles of the world and relax.

 

As innoucuous as it seems, I'm a bit troubled by this New Balance / RCCL partnership. I'm truly afraid that should this partership be successfull that these types of tie-ins may become more and more pervasive on cruiseships and I don't see this as a good enhancement to the cruise experience. Why? Because the NB deal is not only for gift shop merchandise it includes their sponsoring of shipboard Pentathalon & Ultimate Race events. And you can bet that there will be several announcements daily for these events sounding something like "Good afternoon everybody this is your cruise director with a reminder that at 3 O'clock today we'll be having our New Balance Pentathalon challenge up on deck 10 forward. Make sure you stay shipshape and join in on the action. Signups are going on now at the fitness center. Even if you just want to cheer on your favorite athelete be sure to join us on deck 10 at 3 O'clock for the New Balance Pentathalon."

 

Now there's product placement for ya. Not that product placement is a bad thing. Ben & Jerry's and Seattle's Best found a nice home on RCCL ships. Conveniently located in the Promenade or near the Centrum, they provide a good alternative to the ship's so-so coffee and chocolate/vanilla/strawberry ice cream. But if there were PA announcements or billboard advertising for them in the ship's elevators or hallways you may feel differently about their presence on board.

 

Thru economic necessity a day at your favorite sporting event has year after year become more of a commercial marketing opportunity sometimes overtaking the game itself. After you park your car in the Toyota Camry or Tundra zone you make it into the stadium as FedEx delivers the ball to the officials. If you missed a big play you can catch the Comcast instant replay. If the pitcher stinks they make the Cingular Wireless call to the bullpen. The foul ball poles at my local ballpark look like big yellow Office Depot pencils.I basically chuckle at these things... yet marketing had all but taken over every stadium.

 

A couple of cruises ago "Cruisin' Mike" was enjoying a cold Heineken on deck on a sea day somewhere off the coast of Cuba. Alter ego "Marketing Mike" sat down beside him holding a very nice looking drink in his hand. "Where'd ya get that drink Marketing Mike?"

 

"Down in the Smirinoff Schooner Bar"

 

"Hmmm.. How ya enjoying the cruise?"

 

"Great! My wife's up in the Lady Of America spa getting a massage"

 

"Really? Where's the kids?"

 

"We'll be picking them up from the Nintendo Club Ocean in an hour or so."

 

"Nice. You got early seating tonight."

 

"Actually we're gonna skip the dining room tonight and have dinner at Ruth's Chris."

 

"You mean Chops?"

 

"Well, it used to be Chops, but they changed it afew months ago."

 

"OK. Well I gotta run. I'm supposed to meet up with some folks at the Chivas Regal Concierge Lounge. I guess we'll see ya tonight at the show in the Tickemaster Theater."

 

"You bet. We didn't really like the Comedy Central comedian but we heard tonight's Delta Airlines Salute To Broadway was great."

 

So where am I going with this? I'm not saying that the New Balance sponsorship will turn the RCCL cruising experience on it's end. But I do feel that by allowing sponsorships on board a cruiseship little by little, it opens the door to more sponsorship opportunities and there is a possibility of this getting out of hand. (I was going to say going overboard) and ultimately turn a cruise into one giant marketing opportunity in the name of offsetting fare hikes and increasing ship's revenues.

 

Any thoughts on this? Or better yet, how about some creative sponsorships for other areas of the ship.

Motion sickness? Visit the Humana infirmary on deck 1.

On debarkation day convert one of the public rooms to the American Tourister departure lounge.

 

Thanks- Michael

 

 

BTW. Anyone willing to guess who the highest paid person on a cruise ship is? In other words if the person who earned the most money at the end of a 7 day cruise were to walk off the ship last, who would that be? It's not who you probably think it is.

[unforgiven]

Very interesting points you raise. I don't mind a little of these type partnerships but I hope it's not taken to the extreme. To much in your face would get very old very quick.

 

I do feel any of the major cruise lines would do what ever it takes to increase revenue space if it meant only minor changes to the cruises overall experience.

 

I would assume the highest paid was the captain, but I must be wrong.

[TEXASMUNK]

NCL Wal-Mart dress code.....

 

At one time, it used to be the Cruise Director. He (and it was only a He), would make a small salary, but he got to keep all the "vig" from every store he recommended to the unsuspecting tourists.

[Creeks]

Don't know if the Chef is the highest paid,

but he always get the biggest hand at the Captain's Party!

 

It is disturbing to think of signs and labels throughout the ship.......

Brand name itis?

 

We're looking for what to book for our 19th cruise ~

[IBookHePays]

I agree it's unsettling to see name brands taking over different venues, but it seems to be a part of life. Here in San Francisco, our ballparks change names regularly....it ruins it for everyone, but I guess it's all about the ca$h.:mad:

[Andipanda1]

I agree it's unsettling to see name brands taking over different venues, but it seems to be a part of life. Here in San Francisco, our ballparks change names regularly....it ruins it for everyone, but I guess it's all about the ca$h.:mad:

 

I read the C&A magazine, and it was pretty jarring to see that the cruiseline is also partnering with Lowe's for its Build and Grow workshops. The parent-kid workshop is a neat thing, but I really don't want to be reminded of home improvement on my vacation.

 

Actually, this has been a slippery slope for several years--Seattle's Best, Ben and Jerry's, Johnny Rockets--folks have clamored for these things, so RCI thinks that they are OK. And isn't Fisher-Price sponsoring an onboard program for infants? So I'm not surprised. These sponsorships will help to keep cruising prices down, but of course, at the expense of the overall cruise experience. And that's sad.

 

About as sad as living in the land of Fed Ex Field (ugh!).

[TahoeBob]

I read the C&A magazine, and it was pretty jarring to see that the cruiseline is also partnering with Lowe's for its Build and Grow workshops. The parent-kid workshop is a neat thing, but I really don't want to be reminded of home improvement on my vacation.

 

Actually, this has been a slippery slope for several years--Seattle's Best, Ben and Jerry's, Johnny Rockets--folks have clamored for these things, so RCI thinks that they are OK. And isn't Fisher-Price sponsoring an onboard program for infants? So I'm not surprised. These sponsorships will help to keep cruising prices down, but of course, at the expense of the overall cruise experience. And that's sad.

 

About as sad as living in the land of Fed Ex Field (ugh!).

I am a SF Giants fan, the past few years I have seen games at Pac Bell Park, SBC park, and now ATT park. and its all the same place. this week it is Ben & Jerrys and Seattle's Best. Next week it could be Baskins Robbins 31 and starbucks

[superjerryw]

oops...

[superjerryw]

As the cruise lines do anything they can to make an extra dollar the co-branding trend will continue. I expect to see ships begin to resemble NASCAR racing cars with sponsor logos all over the hull. As a matter of fact, I took this picture in Miami last week of the Navigator and the Freedom. It looks like they have already started the new paint jobs....:eek:

 

[copnlpn2]

Mike 1 & Mike 2 - I appreciate the straight-forward manner in which you presented your views and I also share your concern. Hope I never see the day when there's placemats covered with ads in RCCL's dining rooms!

 

I understand how co-branding can benefit those involved, but how far will RCCL go? Who can predict when Superjerryw's cute graphics become a reality? (BTW Jerry - you are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too cool!)

 

Cindy

[WrenchHeadCruiser]

I agree... I don’t go on vacation to have products pitched to me, and fear this is only the beginning. I can see it now... RCI is proud to introduce its newest vessel The Kraft Class, Seven Seas Ranch, with its sister ships coming soon Seven Seas Russian and the Seven Seas Viva Italian soon to be cruising the Mediterranean

[cruisePRN]

Kinda interesting to see others didn't like the idea of NB or Lowes either. My first reaction was I'll boycot these onboard and nothings changed my mind yet.

I wish they'd raise the fares and stop these things that distract from my cruise experience.

[superjerryw]

I understand how co-branding can benefit those involved, but how far will RCCL go? Who can predict when Superjerryw's cute graphics become a reality? (BTW Jerry - you are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too cool!)

 

Cindy

 

Thanks!!!

[superjerryw]

I wish they'd raise the fares and stop these things that distract from my cruise experience.

 

I agree, but that is not the current business plan of the cruise lines. They seem to feel that it is better to have a lower base fare to get people on the ship. Once you have them on the ship you nickel and dime them as much as possible to generate revenue. While experienced cruisers are aware of all the extra charges you may encounter on a cruise, many new cruisers are not and are enticed on board solely by the lure of a seemingly cheap vacation.

[cruisePRN]

It's time to get back to the way they used to do things when you didn't feel like they were out to fleece you every change they get.

[jdh]

People, people,people, if you are truly cruising for "vacation" then hearing announcements and seeing advertisements shouldn't ruin our trip. If you do a land-based vacation, you see the same things so do you allow that to ruin your trip? I surely hope not. I am quite capable of saying NO to ads and ignoring them when I am not interested. If this type of marketing keeps the fares down then I'm all for it. When we board a cruise ship, we do so to enjoy ourselves and nothing interferes with that unless we choose to allow it.

Regardless, we are counting the day suntil our Dec 10 cruise on Explorer. Happy cruising all!

[jdh]

People, people,people, if you are truly cruising for "vacation" then hearing announcements and seeing advertisements shouldn't ruin our trip. If you do a land-based vacation, you see the same things so do you allow that to ruin your trip? I surely hope not. I am quite capable of saying NO to ads and ignoring them when I am not interested. If this type of marketing keeps the fares down then I'm all for it. When we board a cruise ship, we do so to enjoy ourselves and nothing interferes with that unless we choose to allow it.

Regardless, we are counting the day suntil our Dec 10 cruise on Explorer. Happy cruising all!

[gatour]

You raised some interesting points, but Disney has been doing this for years. Disneyland opened with attractions sponsored by various companies, but people are still going there, including me. As long as they don't resort to "broadcasting" strictly commercials over the PA then I don't mind them doing this.

 

Also as others have had also said, if you are on a normal land base vacation you will see commercials if you watch tv. You will see billboards, store signs, if you drive around your vacation spot.

[AdGuyMike]

You raised some interesting points, but Disney has been doing this for years. Disneyland opened with attractions sponsored by various companies, but people are still going there, including me.

You're absolutely correct about that. In fact, most major theme parks have always had co-brand attractions and food concesions since their inception. Kodak's 3D Theaters, GM Transportation of Tommorrow, Kraft Foods Wonderful World of Condiments or whatever... etc. And things like that don't bother me at all. I know that without these major sponsorships , theme parks wouldn't exist at all. Or the price of admission would be exhorbitant.

 

Corporate sponsorships bring terrific concerts, shows and exibitions to cities all across America and I think we all benefit from that.

 

Please don't mistake my starting this thread as a blanket anti advertising tirade. I am most definately not anti-sponsorship nor anti-advertising. I make my living in the advertising and marketing field.

 

The point of my post is about the venue. The cruise ship. Cruise lines tend to stress in their marketing a "get away from it all" approach. Ahhh. Relax.. Watch the waves and let the world melt away as you're pampered in luxury aboard an upscale floating resort. Food. Fun. Drink. Dance. Find Romance. Or just do nothing at all. No worries, mon.

 

Theme parks on the other hand tend to market their product as a non stop, go 'til you drop, action packed world of fun, thrill, sensory overload and adventure and make no insinuation whatsoever about a relaxing intimate day at the park. (Remember the hot days pushing around a stroller and waiting in long lines?? You also know going in that your going to be bombarded into buying a bunch of crappy souveniers to "bring home the magic". And the more you spend, the more magic you'll bring home.)

[BuyReallyLow]

Are you going to give us the answer to the question you posed in your first post? I'll admit I'm curious....:rolleyes:

[AdGuyMike]

People, people,people, if you are truly cruising for "vacation" then hearing announcements and seeing advertisements shouldn't ruin our trip. If you do a land-based vacation, you see the same things so do you allow that to ruin your trip? I surely hope not.

 

I looked over the replies to this post and don't see where anybody said thier vacation would be ruined.

 

My point was about how being marketed to by outside sponsors while onboard a cruiseship. In my last 20 or so years of cruising I've kind of felt I was isolated from that.

 

True, you get "marketed to" on any vacation. Vacation at an upscale resort in a city with great restaurants and you will find the hotel encourages you to eat in their own on-property restaurant. I agree it's everywhere.

 

And quite frankly I too can say NO to ads. In fact I mostly chuckle at many of the truly shameless pitches I see.

 

But again, my issue is about cruiseship co branding and marketing sponsorships, not print/broadcast advertising.

[AdGuyMike]

Are you going to give us the answer to the question you posed in your first post? I'll admit I'm curious....:rolleyes:

 

I'm just going to let it sit just a bit, but I will say it is NOT The Captain.

 

I got my info from a guy who's purser on Princess who has a blog about behing the scenes shipboard life. Very interesting. I'm going to try to dig up the link.

 

BTW, did you know that the entire staff gets paid weekly in US cash???

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

My stance on this is just the opposite of a poster above me in this thread. If all these new corporate hook-ups keep the prices down I am for it. We don't have to buy New Balance shoes and Ben and Jerry's ice cream, but the passengers who do may be helping to reduce the cost of our tickets just as those who "contribute" money to RCI each night in the casino help keep prices down.

 

The photos of RCI ships with Wal-mart and McDonald's signs were funny. I had a good laugh. But I can foresee the day that corporations might sponsor ships in the same way they sponsor arenas and stadiums today. So, yes, I can imagine a ship such as the Nextell Freedom of the Seas or the Dell Liberty of the Seas. Will that stop me from cruising? Not as long as that keeps the prices of a cruise down.

 

Besides it will only help those here who own RCI stock. If the corporation is more profitable, the stock price may go up and it may pay more dividends (if it does pay dividends.)

[GMoney]

I think if RCI wanted to whore themselves out they would have acted more aggressively and done it by now.

 

Even in the cases where they do cobrand, it doesn't seem to be that big of a win for anyone. Seattle's Best is not strong an entity. It's not like Johnny Rockers took off on land after they showed up on ships. You really have to hunt to find the NB presence on FOS; the Get Out There store never seemed to have many people in it, and the merchandise is way more RCI than NB.

 

Jerry - That is one of the best posts ever.

[TahoeBob]

back in the mid 80's I was living near Sacramento, Ca. The whole city was just giddy that we got a NBA team. The Kings moved from KC by new owner Gregg Lukenbill. Lukenbill built a small arena for the first three years, then he struck a deal with ARCO for some cash for nameing rights. you should have seen what happened then, People were writing letters against the deal. The local newspaper (Sacramento Bee) wrote a editorial stating that they would never call the arena "Arco Arena" for the few years or so the Bee called it "Kings Arena" then something funny happened the Bee started it Arco Arena.

 

Now you can not go to a sporting event with out going to a arena or stadium with some form of sponcership. OK there a few left with the sponership but not many. very few people even blink a eye anymore about names rights in sports.

 

If the cruise line did the same thing at first people would be outraged, then after a few years no one would even blink a eye about any of the deals.