Shortly after Holland America Line introduced its fresh "Savor the Journey" tagline, it also released a television commercial to accompany it, but it didn't quite resonate with the gravitas that its much improved newest spots do.
The original ad, embedded below for reference, was honestly rather generic and was not likely to appeal to the demographic of the "Today," "The Voice," "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," "Saturday Night Live" and "60 Minutes" placements it was given. The footage seemed to mostly repeat old stock B-roll with voice-over copy that was similarly stale.
The premium cruise line is going at it again with a much better set of three commercials conveying an updated "Power to Change the World" marketing campaign. They are now airing via broadcast advertising, social media, web-based media, sales initiatives and marketing collateral materials in conjunction with a more detailed WhyWeSail.com microsite.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Behind the Scenes: Holland America Line's New Brand and Koningsdam Sea Trials[/READMORE]
The lead 60-second spot presents exactly what makes Holland America Line a unique storied brand while effectively explaining its joint Dutch and U.S. history to a modern audience who might otherwise question its relevance today. The footage is much more polished, and the collage editing presents a lot of what a cruiser can expect onboard and off by choosing the company in a limited period of time.
"Those who travel the world better understand the world, and today this kind of understanding and insight is more important than ever," said Orlando Ashford, president, Holland America Line. "I have been speaking over the past year about the transformational power of travel and firmly believe that it opens minds, builds connections and inspires shared humanity."
[READMORE]READ MORE: TravelPulse On Board: Koningsdam Review[/READMORE]
In addition to the "Why We Sail" spot, "Carefully Crafted Journeys" and "Music Walk" are two more 30-second spots that showcase the shoreside experience and onboard featured entertainment respectively. The trio is collectively more energetic and presents travel ideals to be excited for. One curious omission is any video of its newest Koningsdam ship. All three can be viewed, hosted at my Popular Cruising YouTube channel and embedded below for comparison to the original above.
Altogether, Holland America considers the new campaign a reflection of its recent "higher purpose" work, which includes just this week donating $5,000 to Strong Against Cancer, a fundraising effort for a cancer immunotherapy treatment under development at Seattle Children's Hospital. The check was presented during a ceremonial reveal of the line's new promotionally-wrapped commuter trains in Washington to appear as ships cruising the rails.
"As Seattle's Hometown Cruise Line, we're always looking for creative ways to increase awareness that we're headquartered here. We sail from Seattle to Alaska all summer long, and we are a big contributor and supporter of the local community," said Ashford. "Millions of people ride Seattle's light rail each year, and we're excited to have these eye-catching trains sailing around the city and spreading the word in a fun and engaging way."
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
