Time is Running Out to Win a Free Cruise for Life from Carnival Corporation

World's largest travel and leisure company encourages consumer input at World's Leading Cruise Lines site and YouTube's "Ad Blitz" channel to help select one of four potential TV commercials to kick off winter sales season

More than 80,000 consumers have already shared feedback on TV commercial concepts with only two weeks left to be entered to win a yearly cruise for life

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Carnival Corporation & plc

Jan 22, 2015, 11:24 ET

MIAMI, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest travel and leisure company, has an urgent reminder for consumers wanting a great vacation for the rest of their lives: Time is running out to be entered to win a yearly cruise for life.

Carnival Corporation, the world's largest travel and leisure company, is working to select its first TV commercial from its new multi-brand national marketing initiative. The final commercial will be sourced from the company's recently launched "World's Leading Cruise Lines Marketing Challenge" that gives consumers across North America the chance to provide Carnival Corporation with input on its new advertising creative. Hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, this interactive crowdsourcing contest lets consumers "join the company's marketing team" and vote for their favorite creative concept with a chance to win a grand prize of a yearly cruise for life.

Entering the contest is easy and gives consumers a unique chance to participate in a national ad campaign by providing input on four final TV ads – all designed to show consumers who have never cruised why it is a great vacation experience, at an exceptional value. One of the concepts will be used as the company's first-ever multi-brand TV commercial in early February – timed with the cruise industry's yearly first-quarter surge in bookings, known as "Wave Season." All four TV ads will be used on various platforms in 2015.

As of last week, consumers can visit YouTube's "Ad Blitz" channel to view "teasers" of Carnival Corporation's four ad concepts and follow links to the company's recently launched "World's Leading Cruise Lines Marketing Challenge," where they can vote on their favorite commercials and enter the contest. Hosted by comedian and actor Cedric the Entertainer, this crowdsourcing contest lets consumers "join the marketing team" at Carnival Corporation.

"We've enjoyed having the opportunity to hear from more than 80,000 consumers on which of these ad concepts resonate with them in telling the story of cruising, and we hope even more people will take this chance to tell us which of these four ad concepts they'd like to see throughout 2015," said Ken Jones, VP of group marketing and insights for Carnival Corporation. "We hope this process gives us valuable insight on our advertising concepts and, most importantly, shows consumers why cruising is the best vacation there is, and provides a glimpse into why certain myths about cruising are just not true. Our nine brands offer excellent vacation packages during wave season, so for rookie or veteran cruisers, this is a great time to consider booking a cruise."

In teaming up with Google to publish its commercials on YouTube's "Ad Blitz," Carnival Corporation's teasers and final ad will be featured on the channel. Carnival's commercials will also be used as advertisements prior to related travel videos on YouTube and similarly, shown as suggested "promoted" videos when consumers are viewing specific travel videos.

"YouTube is the number one place people go to watch commercials after they air on TV," said Jessica Rodbell, Head of Industry, Travel for Google. "We're excited that Carnival Corporation is making its new ad concepts available on the teaser gallery of YouTube's Ad Blitz channel to the millions people who watch, share and vote for their favorite spots."

To Check Out and Vote on TV Spots, go to WorldsLeadingCruiseLines.com

Consumers can visit Carnival Corporation's new campaign hub created by BBDO Atlanta – WorldsLeadingCruiseLines.com – for details on how to vote in the Marketing Challenge and be entered to win a cruise every year for life. The winner of Carnival's Marketing Challenge is scheduled to be announced the week of February 5. Rough-cut preview videos of the four finalist ad concepts are available for review and voting. This final round of voting will help determine which of the finalists will run from the following spots:

"Getaway": Cruising gives guests the chance to get away from all the stresses of life
"Cruise Virgin": These people tell about their first time to cruise – which they happily remember
"Message in a Bottle": Special moments of cruising are in a message in a bottle
"Mystery Spot": This idea contains a surprise that will remind people just how special the sea is

The commercials were created by BBDO Atlanta, part of BBDO Worldwide, which was recently named Global Agency of the Year by Adweek magazine. BBDO collaborated with Academy Award-winning cinematographer and Hollywood director Wally Pfister – best known for his work on Transcendence, Inception and The Dark Knight trilogy – to develop Carnival Corporation's first-ever commercials. The final commercial will be a 60-second spot selected from the four finalist full-scale production ads.

Carnival Corporation's first-ever TV commercial is part of the company's recently launched multi-brand marketing initiative that for the first time incorporates all nine of its global brands with television, digital, social and contest elements in an initiative to drive increased awareness, consideration and demand for cruising. All of the ads will be used throughout 2015 on multiple platforms including TV and online.

To Find Right Cruise, Check Your CRUISE-A-NALITY and Consult a Travel Agent
Among many integrated elements within Carnival Corporation's new marketing initiative, consumers are able to use WorldsLeadingCruiseLines.com as a hub for new tools, functionality and content from the company's nine brands, including the popular new "CRUISE-A-NALITY" tool that helps vacationers decide what type of cruise vacation and brand experience is right for them based on a series of personality-focused questions. CRUISE-A-NALITY participants can enter to win a free cruise from Carnival Corporation – The first contest winner, Richard Vronman from Escondido, California, was named earlier this month on Twitter, and the company will announce the next winner later this month.

In addition, Carnival Corporation is encouraging travelers to contact a travel agent, who can offer valuable insight about cruising and how to help find the right cruise.

Also, as part of the campaign Carnival, is giving away multiple free cruises and an additional grand prize on Twitter. Users tweeting what they love about cruising to @CarnivalPLC with the hashtag #LoveCruising will be eligible for a series of free cruises as prizes, with one individual selected at random to receive 100 days of cruising on a choice of Carnival Corporation's U.S.-based brands.

All sweepstakes rules and eligibility information are available at WorldsLeadingCruiseLines.com.

About Carnival Corporation

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise company in the world, with a portfolio of cruise brands in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, P&O Cruises (Australia) and P&O Cruises (UK).

Together, these brands operate 100 ships totaling 212,000 lower berths with 10 new ships scheduled to be delivered between now and 2018. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices. Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.princess.com, www.seabourn.com, www.aida.de, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com, www.pocruises.com.au and www.pocruises.com.

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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc