• by Tanya Gazdik , January 26, 2011

Celebrity Cruises is launching a multi-channel campaign with the theme "X the rules."

While all cruise lines claim to offer beautiful accommodations, great dining experiences, and excellent service, Celebrity's point of distinction is offering a "better, different and special vacation experience" including "trendsetting onboard experiences."

While most vacation providers offer Internet cafes, Miami-based Celebrity offers the "Celebrity iLounge," complete with the opportunity to experiment with the latest Apple technologies and become immersed in new applications through "iLearn" courses. Many cruise lines offer enrichment programs, but only Celebrity offers vacationers the chance to learn a new language through Rosetta Stone, become immersed in the culture of the destinations with experts from Smithsonian Journeys, or taste the difference a glass makes in comparative wine tastings with Riedel Crystal.

The cruise line is leveraging its longtime icon -- the Celebrity "X" -- to communicate that the "X" is the mark of an unmatchable vacation experience, said Celebrity's Vice President of Marketing Lisa Kauffman in a release.

The signature "X" displayed on the funnel of Celebrity ships is the Greek letter chi, because "Chandris" Celebrity Cruises was founded in April 1988 as a subsidiary of the Greece-based Chandris Group. The "X" also appears as part of the company's logo, in between the words "Celebrity" and "Cruises."

The new campaign, created by the boutique agency New York-based Underhead, will appear in a variety of online executions, consumer and trade magazines, outdoor, and in newspapers across the U.S. and Canada.

The campaign includes a Facebook component including online banner ads and a photo contest. The brand's followers will be invited to share in postcard format how they "X the rules" in their own lives, in categories such as luxury, exhilaration and relaxation. Facebook followers will be invited to vote for several entrants who will receive prizes, with the grand prize winner to be determined in a competition among finalists for a European cruise for two with Celebrity Cruises.