WHY IT RATES: This will resonate with travel agents on a far deeper level than just a branding spot. – Rich Thomaselli, TravelPulse Senior Editor

PHOTO: The MSC Seaside (Courtesy MSC Cruises)

MSC Cruises’ “Share the Love” month campaign is coming to an end, and we are thrilled to announce that this Sunday during “ET at the Oscars: Live on Pop!” on Pop TV between 5 p.m. and 6:40 p.m. ET, we’ll air our first national television spot in which one of our valued travel agent partners is featured.

The fun and upbeat commercial, which is part of MSC Cruises’ “In the Summertime” campaign, will encourage consumers to seek out a certified travel agent and is the first time a cruise line has given its travel agent partners a chance to star in one of its commercials.  The commercial also talks about MSC Cruises’ loyalty match program, which is the first time we’ve advertised this benefit on TV.

SEE MORE: MSC Seaside Follows The Sun

The commercial will also run on Fox, CNN, and CNBC in the coming weeks.

 Share the Love month was designed to show travel agents how much MSC Cruises appreciates their efforts. In addition to the chance of being featured in one of MSC Cruises’ commercials, every day during the month of February MSC gave away a prize to travel agents who made a booking on any MSC ship.

“While we work hard year-round to show our travel agent partners that we greatly appreciate their efforts and support as MSC Cruises grows in North America, Share the Love month allowed us to do something truly memorable and fun for our partners,” said Ken Muskat, executive vice president for MSC Cruises said. “We’ve received extremely positive feedback from travel agents to date and our partners can expect to continue to see out of the box and creative campaigns from us in the future.”

For more information, visit msccruises.com

SOURCE: MSC Cruises press release