Covid had devastated what was the fastest growing area of the travel industry – cruising. And for Hurtigruten – a specialist in sustainable expedition travel – their core audience (ABC1 55+) became far less likely to travel, increasing the risk of their competitors stealing market-share. In addition, Hurtigruten had a brand awareness challenge amongst their core audience. To survive, they needed a platform to:
- Raise brand awareness of Hurtigruten (amongst ABC1 55+)
- Enhance brand image perceptions
- Increase consideration and purchase intent
To identify where growth could come from, a new segmentation highlighted two audiences – ‘Explorers’ and ‘Adventurers’ as having the highest potential. Using Sky’s unique customer and viewing data, we found that both audiences were heavy TV consumers, with the audiences nearly 2 x more likely to be heavy TV consumers than average. Sky Nature and Nat Geo viewers were specifically identified not only for their strong audience fit but their lifestyle and mindset match – ‘Likelihood to have been on a cruise in the last year’ (i192), ‘Have a sense of adventure’ (i119), ‘Eco conscious’ (i116) and ‘Into science & discovery’ (i145).
So, in late 2021, Hurtigruten stepped into new marketing waters with a multi-channel broadcast sponsorship, matching Hurtigruten’s destinations and ethos with Sky Nature, National Geographic and National Geographic Wild.
To create a premium presence and resonate with Hurtigruten’s audience, we worked with actress and activist Dame Joanna Lumley as the voice of the sponsorship idents to run across specially selected content. Then to extend the nature narrative beyond broadcast, we created an exclusive and premium activation at the premiere of Sky Nature’s highly anticipated new show Predators, narrated by Tom Hardy and featuring the WWF and polar bears including:
- Bespoke Advertising – a 15” ident before the premiere, placing Hurtigruten as a high-profile partner of Sky.
- Industry Exposure – exposure to 198 influential journalists, influencers, and opinion formers.
- The Brand Experience – branded polar bear merch and postcards placed on each seat, with details on how to adopt a WWF polar bear courtesy of Hurtigruten, aligning perfectly with Hurtigruten’s Arctic Expeditions and the environmentally-conscious work from Hurtigruten and Sky.
- Social Coverage – @Skytv Facebook & Instagram platforms integrated Hurtigruten within organic posts and promoted “dark” posts to its target audience during the month of the Predators trailer release.
Alongside the sponsorship, we also developed a 360 partnership with National Geographic adding print, digital and social platforms to the media mix to enhance reach and engagement:
- Content Sponsorship on www.nationalgeographic.com driving visitors to find out more information about Hurtigruten’s expeditions.
- Contextual Digital Drivers – Digital Banners, MPUs around Contextual Articles based around cruise destinations (e.g. Antarctica and the British Isles expedition cruises).
- Nat Geo Facebook – Organic and ‘Dark’ Facebook link posts.
- Nat Geo Print Magazine – A Double Page Spread x 3 British Isle Editions and Advertorial in the Feb British Isle Edition.
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