ITV Ship-to-Cabin Messaging Effective for P&O Marketing Strategy
Industry Group: Hospitality
Division: Allin Interactive
Product: DigiSD™
The Challenge:
P&O Cruises http://pocruises.com/, a UK-based brand of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL), has been operating cruise ships for more than 170 years and combines innovation, professionalism, and unrivalled experience on its fleet of six ships dedicated to the British market. P&O Cruises wanted to better connect with their guests by improving communications and marketing onboard their newest cruise ship, Ventura, launched in Spring, 2008.
“We have been able to maintain a high level of connection with our passengers while reducing our public address announcements as well as the cost and distribution of paper promotional flyers. It’s a win for everyone.”
-Philip Price, head of Brand Marketing, P&O Cruises
“We use ITV messaging for targeted and ship-wide promotional and informational purposes. For example, on the new Ventura we can run a report to see which cabins have expressed interest in, but not purchased, a particular shore excursion.”
-Steven Spilsbury, Visual Merchandising Manager, Carnival UK
The Solution:
P&O Cruises selected the Allin Interactive DigiSD™ platform as the ITV solution on the Ventura. The DigiSD™ platform provides Ventura passengers with the ability to view current and forthcoming onboard activities and shows, learn about dining and entertainment options, and stay up-to-date on important announcements and promotional offers from the comfort of their cabins. One important component of the DigiSD™ platform that assists in this comprehensive communications effort is the ship-to-cabin messaging module.
The Benefits:
The utilization of the DigiSD™ ship-to-cabin messaging module on Ventura resulted in P&O Cruises adjusting its overall onboard communication strategy to benefit both the passengers and the cruise line. Guests appreciate fewer disruptive public address announcements, and the cruise line benefits from decreased paper and ink costs due to a substantial reduction in the distribution of printed promotional pieces.
The ship-to-cabin messaging module allows onboard staff to target promotional messages to specific cabins based on loyalty program status, stated guest interest, or prior purchase transactions. DigiSD™ ITV system business intelligence capabilities gather information about which cabins have read and deleted certain messages, so that onboard staff can follow up appropriately. P&O Cruises monitors ITV message read rates and subsequent action by targeted guests to determine effectiveness of the ITV messages. These results give the cruise line an opportunity to improve their overall marketing strategy and adjust to ever-changing conditions.
About Allin Interactive:
Specializing in cruise lines, Allin Interactive www.Allin.com designs, develops, implements, and supports turn-key enterprise-quality interactive systems and platforms for the hospitality industry. Allin Interactive created the world's first multiple application, multimedia Interactive Television (ITV) system capable of supporting real-time on-line commercial transactions. Allin Interactive installs ITV and hardware solutions on ships around the world.