Travel brands commonly talk about
“escape” from everyday life, but cruise line Royal Caribbean’s new “It’s Big Time” campaign takes a different approach.
The campaign debuted during Sept.
4’s “Thursday Night Football” matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. Its first ad,
“Only One,” positions the brand as “unrivaled,” with text on screen promising “There’s only one vacation…so unbelievable it’ll make you a
believer.”
“It’s Big Time” is running across national broadcast TV, streaming/CTV, social, audio, and digital channels. That tagline also nods to the unparalleled size
of the brand’s vessels as the largest cruise ships in the world. Upcoming “It’s Big Time” ads will focus on Royal Caribbean exclusive destinations and experiences, with plans
to extend the campaign through 2026.
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“There's something about our ships and destinations that has to be seen and experienced to be believed, and this campaign is the closest we've ever
come to replicating that unique feeling in our marketing,” Royal Caribbean CMO Kara Wallace said in a statement.
“It’s Big Time” is the first campaign from Royal
Caribbean since naming Partners+Napieras as its creative agency of record, and emerged out of an idea the agency pitched during a competitive agency review.
“Royal Caribbean has won the
cruise category from an innovation and experience standpoint. To move beyond cruises and become known as the best vacation brand overall, we found a counterpoint to how people think about
vacations,” Partners+Napier CCO Robb Kottcamp told Marketing Daily. “The rest of the vacation category is talking about escape, but Royal Caribbean is for people who want to go all
in. For Royal Caribbean, travel isn't about escaping the world, it's about embracing the world.”
Examples of other brands employing a marketing strategy around offering an
“escape” aren’t hard to find. “It’s Big Time” launches a little over a month after rival Norwegian Cruise Line’s recent “Escape to the Great Life” campaign.