Application Spotlight: Commute Royally
This February, Royal Caribbean International, brought the "Royal Experience" to NYC 42nd Street S train commuters with a special advertising program.
Customer: Royal Caribbean International
Location: New York, NY
Production Shops: CBS Outdoor and Blue Ocean
Flight Date: February 2012
Project: Bring "Royal to the People" with a NYC S subway train wrap
New York City in February is downright cold and damp and a vacation in the sunny tropics would be a welcome break for most everyone—especially after spending time slogging through sleet and snow to get to work on time. This February, Royal Caribbean International, brought the "Royal Experience" to NYC 42nd Street S train commuters with a special advertising program.
"Our global research indicated that we need to connect with potential customers when they least expect to hear from us, but need the benefits of a Royal vacation the most; namely, on a busy morning commute during the winter months. We wanted to bring Royal to the People," said Betsy O'Rourke, SVP, Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. "The creative team from Mindshare and JWT had the idea to use the shuttle as a way to bring Royal to the people—especially at a time they were least expecting it (ie: during the cold month of February, on a crowded subway during their commutes). The different shuttle cars reflect the various Royal experiences to disrupt the usual hustle and bustle of a busy commute by showing some of the amazing experiences Royal has to offer."
According to O'Rourke, New York is a large sourcing market for Royal, with cruises leaving from New Jersey. The shuttle would be able to bring the Royal experience to the one million plus riders per day.
The subway cars, which are wrapped both inside and out, reflect actual Royal Caribbean cruise ships. The cars’ interiors are each separately wrapped as an onboard theater featuring marquees of some of the Broadway shows guests can see onboard select Royal Caribbean ships such as Hairspray, Chicago, and Saturday Night Fever; an onboard spa with bamboo showers and masseuse; as well as an open deck area complete with a Flowrider surf simulator and surfer. Each car conveys the options for entertainment, relaxation and adventure that can be enjoyed on a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation.
The entire process from concept, to planning the shoot, to building the files, to installation of the final creative took about six months. The photo assets were shot for a week on Oasis of the Seas in October 2011 and then transferred to a team of retouchers and graphic studio artists to compose the images together into the experiences in each car, as well as the exterior. The team spent two months on the retouching and mechanical builds to the specs set forth by the New York MTA.
"Mindshare brought the idea to the table as a fun activation for the new campaign," said O'Rourke. "JWT, our agency of record, came up with the creative concept, and worked with the vendors CBS Outdoor and Blue Ocean, who oversaw the printing and installation of the wrap."
The shuttle graphics were printed on an EFI Vutek 3250 printer on 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply v3 Adhesive IJ180Cv3 with 3M 8519 lamination interior and exterior.
Social media also played an important part of this campaign. Commuters were encouraged to take photographs and videos to share with friends through their social media channels, tagging Royal Caribbean by using the specified hashtag #RoyalShuttle. Royal Caribbean also challenged fans to find “hidden treasures” in the shuttle artwork, including characters such as Shrek and Po from the cruise line’s exclusive partnership with film studio powerhouse DreamWorks Animation.
"Utilizing social media and encouraging riders to Tweet or post their photos of the shuttle is a way for consumers to interact directly with Royal. It also encourages Royal's loyal fan base of current cruisers to become ambassadors of the brand as well," said O'Rourke.
