Goals: Clearly state your marketing goals. What did you strive to achieve using this piece or program?
Aqua Expeditions, a luxury river cruise company, launched its first coastal cruising yacht, the Aqua Blu, in East Indonesia in November 2019, expanding its offerings from solely river cruising to include seafaring coastal expedition yachting.
Our goal was to promote the launch of the new ship to the American public by generating media coverage and buzz around Aqua Expeditions’ first coastal cruising yacht; highlighting the unique Aqua Blu vessel, its access to untapped destinations within Indonesia, and showcase the five-star service and unique experiences guests would enjoy aboard the new ship, the same five-star service they’ve come to expect from the brand.
In addition, we aimed to promote the expansion of Aqua Expeditions as a brand and underscored founder Francesco Galli Zugaro’s pioneering of the luxury cruising space.
We targeted outlets like Departures, Travel + Leisure, Town & Country, Conde Nast Traveler and Virtuoso Life as they reach Aqua Expeditions’ key target market of affluent, discerning travelers.
Results: Which of your original goals did you achieve and how? How did you measure the effectiveness of the piece or campaign? Entrants should provide quantifiable results of their tactics or campaigns. (for example, click through rates or ad equivalency)
Tactics used: hosting an intimate event in New York with top-tier media; coordinating desk side meetings with editors at target publications; pitching media; and hosting media on both Aqua Blu inaugural voyages.
To announce the Aqua Blu launch, we secured a digital exclusive with Travel + Leisure detailing the new ship and new Aqua Expeditions destinations; it featured a first-look video of Raja Ampat, Spice Islands and the Komodo Islands - destinations the Aqua Blu would visit. The announcement had an ad equivalency of $170,890.00.
We then partnered with Cathay Pacific to bring media from Virtuoso Life, Town & Country, Departures, Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler to Indonesia to experience the Aqua Blu firsthand, some of whom were accompanied by Galli Zugaro.
Consequently, we secured a 4-page exclusive in Departures, a 10-page feature in Virtuoso Life and a 2-page feature in Conde Nast Traveler accompanied by a standalone online story. An 8-page feature will appear in the February 2021 issue of Travel + Leisure and a feature story will appear in the March 2021 issue of Town & Country.
The articles chronicled the journalists’ firsthand accounts aboard the Aqua Blu highlighting experiences such as seeing Komodo dragons, diving among reefs and engaging with local communities. They also showcased the 5-star amenities on board, cuisine by consulting chef Benjamin Cross and the personalized, white glove service of the Aqua Blu crew.
By hosting media on the Aqua Blu inaugural voyages, we garnered more than 11,445,947 impressions, with coverage amassing an ad equivalency of more than $2,764,157.00.
As a result of the face time we coordinated between Galli Zugaro and New York-media and our pitching, Aqua Expeditions and the Aqua Blu were recognized as one of the most anticipated openings of 2019, featured in 46 outlets.
Thus far, we have garnered more than 755,445,331 impressions for the Aqua Blu with an ad equivalency of over $3,605,796.01.
Entry Title
Launch of Aqua Expeditions' Aqua Blu, Indonesia
Division
Public Relations - NEW OPENING/LAUNCH