• by Tanya Gazdik , July 14, 2009

Royal Caribbean International is filming and debuting a series of TV spots starring real guests enjoying a variety of experiences onboard a ship. Filmed this week on the Liberty of the Seas during a seven-night western Caribbean cruise, the series of "ship to air" commercials will air in select markets this week and nationally beginning Monday.

Other recent reality ads have been a hit with consumers, including Microsoft spots that follow a consumer through the computer shopping experience with the unforgettable consumer-uttered line: "I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person."

Burger King spots told drive-thru line consumers that the Whopper sandwich is no longer available and watched their dismay and anger in a series of spots called "The Whopper Freakout" which have inspired parodies and even music videos on YouTube. Other marketers who have climbed on the reality bandwagon include Home Depot, GEICO, Sears and Frito-Lay.

For the Royal Caribbean campaign, the production crew will shoot, edit, deliver and air these commercials while the ship is still at sea. Spots will be aired within 24 hours of being filmed, giving guests the extraordinary opportunity to star in their very own commercial and showcase their vacation to friends and family before they even step foot back on land.

Consumers can visit http://www.royalcaribbeanpostcards.com/ to watch the new daily commercial spot and enter a daily drawing to win a cruise. The campaign, dubbed "Postcards from the Nation of Why Not" is also being promoted on Royal Caribbean's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RoyalCaribbean.

The spots show a montage of the many types of people and activities that can be found onboard; (read: it's not just the senior shuffleboard set or middle-aged foodies who are there mainly for the buffet.) Tuesday's spot featured a "Saturday Night Live"-style newscast presented by a cruiser wearing a bathing suit, sunglasses and beach hat. She gives a roundup of what passengers experienced during the last 24 hours, including enjoying the day's first cup of coffee while in the pool, working out, learning how to surf, etc. It ends with her saying "That's the news. I'm Emily Hill, cruising with Royal Caribbean, and you're not."

"There really is nobody that can better express the 'Why Not' philosophy of a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation than a guest who is experiencing it at that very moment," said Betsy O'Rourke, senior vice president of Marketing, Royal Caribbean International, in a statement.

Royal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with 20 ships currently in service and two under construction. The line also offers cruise tour land packages in Alaska, Canada, Dubai, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand.