Your brain behaves differently on an ocean cruise, according to first-time cruisers from creative agency Today the Brave said, working on the latest campaign for Carnival Cruise Line.
Holiday Brain, the latest phase of the brand's 100% Holiday platform, invites Australians to leave the “real world” at the dock.
The brief from the cruise line tasked the creative agency to create an ad targeting Australian families who haven’t cruised before, or have maybe only gone once.
With cruise season in full swing, Today the Brave creative Kate Idle told AdNews that the idea was to make people feel like they had been transported to a dreamier, happier place.
“A lot of families that go on holidays end up compromising on their relaxation and fun to manage kids, activities or logistics. But once you set foot on a Carnival cruise, it’s 100% holiday, which means wall-to-wall holiday for everyone,” she said.
“Being on a 100% Holiday means your brain behaves a bit differently. It's all about finally having the chance to allow yourself to realise your full holiday persona which is joyous, relaxed and fun - a distinct shift from the real world you.
“You can really let yourself settle into a holiday mindset and forget about real life and its rules and restrictions, so we gave that mindset a name. A ‘holiday brain’ doesn’t know about deadlines, meal prep, bedtime or homework. It only understands waterslides, conga lines and poolside cocktails.”
The team set sail on a three day Carnival Cruise, moving between holiday go-ers at the buffet or lining up for a waterslide.
Idle said they were all new to cruise ships and had no idea what to expect.
“There is seriously so much to do and so many different kinds of holiday-ers on board,” she said.
“We tried to experience as much as we could in such a short time like comedy shows, piano lounge karaoke and drinking margaritas out of Shark cups (Sharkaritas) - but I think my favourite moment was shooting on deck at sunrise.
“It was so surreal to be in the middle of the ocean, enjoying breakfast with absolutely nothing in sight but ocean. It’s a pretty amazing way to travel - though we all had our sea legs for a few days after.”
Idle said the three-day shoot was logistically challenging because of the tight schedule.
“Trevor, Nicole and the incredible team at Sweetshop did an amazing job of navigating and coordinating such a tricky production,” she said.
“We had to get the shots at the exact times of the runsheet so we were out of the way of holiday makers.
“As with any shoot, there were always some sticky beaks who were keen to see what we were up to.”
Fortunately the agency had no trouble recruiting a number of extras to appear in the commercial.
“One of the challenges we faced was how to cast a room full of partiers, without the ability to bring extras on board the ship,” Idle told AdNews.
“Thankfully, we put the call out to some keen cruisers and they couldn’t have been more excited to get on set. A few 80s hits, a little bit of Salt-n-Pepa and we had a full on disco in no time.”
Idle said it was crucial to strike the right balance between client needs and the best creative decision.
When it came to choosing the narrator, they needed to be “charismatic and effervescent”.
“The narrator was always going to be the only Carnival Cruise crew who appears in the ad,” Idle said.
“However, they also needed to feel like they were well-versed in the idea of ‘Holiday Brain’, because they’ve lived it time and time again. This meant finding someone who, in addition to their charisma, also brought a laid-back, seasoned energy to the role.
“Carlo had to feel like he could legitimately be a crew member, so when our Carlo, the lovely Ghio, was mistaken for an actual crew member more than once, it was clear he was definitely the right choice.”
Idle said the team spent a lot of time choosing music during the post production stage.
“For us, we wanted a vibe that felt both tropical, but also gave the impression that something was slightly askew,” she said.
“It needed to stay pacy whilst using dreamy tones and instruments to introduce the idea that ‘Holiday Brain’ had taken over the characters and the world from the moment people stepped on board.”
Idle said the team also had a lot of fun CGI and editing effects to bring this “kooky” state of mind to life.
“Carnival is already exciting and bright, plus our heightened state of holiday brain meant that we needed to dial up the joy and brightness,” she said.
“It wasn’t too hard in the vibrant surroundings thankfully. A magic cocktail umbrella and a few dreamy time jumps, but believe it or not the magic appearing ice cream was performed very cleverly on set.”
Idle said the agency decided to build a story and anchor it in the concept of ‘Holiday Brain’ instead of overwhelming the viewer with a montage of smiling actors.
“Knowing that the client required a set list of shots on the ship, we had to come up with a platform that could creatively ground the need to oscillate between shots and locations,” she said.
“What you see in the final product is the story of a family arriving on board and exploring each activity, divulging deeper into ‘Holiday Brain’.
“We’re really proud of how we managed to avoid a lot of the category tropes to bring a story to life, whilst still delivering on the client’s expectations and needs.”
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.