Gavin and Stacey star to front new cruise telly ad
P&O Cruises will unveil the latest instalment of its multi-million pound advertising campaign fronted by Welsh actor and comedian Rob Brydon on Christmas Day.
The advert, the latest in a series that launched exactly a year ago, will debut during ITV’s Downton Abbey Christmas special.
In ‘Shore Leave’, Brydon’s character, a newly converted ‘cruiser’, steps off the ship to take part in various activities in Mediterranean locations.
The campaign featuring the Gavin and Stacey star first launched on Christmas Day 2014 and after four weeks on air was the most-recalled campaign in the UK.
A YouGov mid-year brand index for 2015 named P&O Cruises as the top ‘buzz improver’ in the travel category.
Most recently, the work was awarded the Master of Marketing award in the Travel, Leisure and Transport category at the Festival of Marketing Awards.
P&O said the latest instalment aims to ‘debunk some of the negative preconceptions non-cruisers may have about a cruise holiday’, such as having limited time at each destination or being confined to the ship.
The advert emphasises the balance that can be enjoyed while on a P&O Cruises holiday, with scenes split between ship and shore, and between relaxation and discovery.
P&O Cruises vice president of sales, Alex White said; "There is a huge amount of untapped potential in the UK cruise market and the Wave campaign is designed to target new audiences, encouraging them to discover what a holiday with P&O Cruises can offer them.
"The new TV advert is part of a wider Wave campaign providing strong messages of great pricing, generous onboard spend and underlining the breadth of experiences that can be enjoyed both on and off shore, with P&O Cruises. We are confident that our integrated campaign will attract customers to our travel agents, where they will convert interest in to bookings."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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