Cruise operators should do more in their brochures to highlight the wonder of cruising and differentiate their brands, a roundtable discussion group has decided.
The group of 12 agents, operators and Norwegian Cruise Line staff were taking part in the conversation hosted by the cruise operator last week.
They argued that rather than simply highlighting itineraries and prices which quickly date, cruise lines should instead focus on pushing the concept of the cruise and the unique selling points their own brands offer.
Virgin Holidays product development manager Lucy Booth said: “You need to get across the value of cruising - a lot of new-to-cruisers don’t really understand what good value a cruise is and you can do more to show that in the brochure.
“There’s more opportunity to shout about what good value it is.”
“People book a cruise because they want to go on a cruise; they want to know about the ship”
Martin Tanner, Jetline
Jetline head of product Martin Tanner argued that while cruise lines should spend some time discussing cruise as a general holiday, it is vital they focus on what sets them apart for customers once onboard.
He said: “All cruise lines are the same - they don’t want to show what their ships are like, they show a picture of the beach and a couple having a drink in the sunset.
“People book a cruise because they want to go on a cruise; they want to know about the ship, they want to see what’s in the ship, what you get, what’s included and not included.”
Showing off
Stuart Lee, business development manager at Mainstreet Travel Group, agreed cruise lines should focus more on what customers can expect once onboard, from offering sample menus and information on the price of a pint to explaining where the bars are and what they are like.
Tanner added: “The brochure is a one-stop place to promote what’s different about Norwegian and your ships and there’s not enough of that.”
Baldwins Travel Group marketing executive Sarah Vince argued brochures would become less dated if itinerary and pricing information was left out, especially as it often confuses customers.
“Customers don’t understand prices are cruise only. They say ‘it didn’t say that in the brochure’”
Sarah Vince, Baldwins Travel Group
She said: “They don’t understand prices are cruise only and they say ‘it didn’t say that in the brochure’.”
Booth agreed that much of the information could be moved online, where it can be updated more easily. She added: “There is a place for a brochure but there are other opportunities now with online.
“We have many brochures that are small and whet the appetite and then you go online. You need to upload more content online.”
Norwegian Cruise Line business development manager Mark Godden added web content can prove to be an effective boost to a brochure, which can only show so much.
He said: “You can talk and talk and talk, or you can just show them it all in 60 seconds with a video.”
Rack rage
Nick Wilkinson, the line’s director of business development, UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, told the group of one agent who finds 45% of all brochures he is sent remain unracked and unused.
Unrequested brochure drops are a bugbear. Vince said agents don’t request more brochures if they don’t need them, making an unsolicited drop a serious nuisance.
Premier Travel branch manager Sarah Colson argued cruise operators need to tailor better their distribution to agents’ needs.
She said “We do find it very hard to get hold of the brochures we need; the ones that we really need we can’t get hold of. Maybe they could have more regular brochure drops or a better system to order them.”
“You shouldn’t get rid of the brochures, you still have customers that don’t go online”
Eleanor Whalley, Dawson & Sanderson
Fred Olsen Travel head of cruise Geoff Ridgeon added agents were often given an unnecessary headache due to the varying numbers of brochures operators send in each pack.
Vince added: “Pack sizes vary so much, some operators will send five brochures, others 30.”
But no matter how many problems brochures cause at the moment, everyone in the conversation agreed they were here to stay for now.
Ridgeon said: “From a staff point of view everyone still likes to have a brochure on their desk.”
Dawson & Sanderson travel consultant Eleanor Whalley said: “You shouldn’t get rid of the brochures, you still have customers that don’t go online.”
Colson added: “A lot of them [people producing brochures] are going into eBooks, which customers don’t want. It is like reading either a book or a Kindle - people like to hold something and look at it.”
