Initially targeted to entice the first time cruise audience to consider cruising, the original brief was to produce a 10 minute video piece, tackling common misconceptions and objections to this type of holiday.
 
During the creative brainstorming, the brief was widened towards both the first time and repeat cruiser, using DVD as the medium to communicate the whole experience. It was decided that humour and a figurehead should drive the objection handling – switching between misconception and reality through the reel.
 
Chosen for being both recognisable but also representative of the target audience, Helen Lederer was used to illustrate the stereotypical objections that are raised by people that have never experienced a cruise holiday.
 
From 7 initial concepts, a minimalist idea was selected – showing Helen in an all white room, receiving her copy of the DVD and watching it for the first time.  From sceptic to fan, the viewer sees a transformation as all of the typical ‘negatives’ are overturned by the illustrated facts of modern day cruise holidays.
 
Footage was primarily from existing film recently shot for TV advertising and promotion – allowing massive savings in budget. All 4 Brands within the group were covered, enabling the DVD to become a very cost effective tool group wide. The key to the success of the piece was the integration of Helen’s narrative and objection handling with the existing footage - coupled with a simple menu and navigation.
 
Caroline Clark from CCS comments, “this DVD has been an important piece of work for us. It comes at a time when the cruise industry as a whole is experiencing a widening of its target audiences, where the benefits of cruising are starting to appeal to younger audiences too. The M-Corp DVD really conveys the practical appeal of cruising, through addressing the typical objections head on.’
 
Having released 5000 DVDs initially for a national roadshow, Thomas Cook became interested in using the material for a national store roll out, enabling travel agent staff to use more professional presentations to convey the cruise experience.
 
Caroline Clark continues, “the benefit of this piece being digital was that we could ‘tweak’ the presentation and incorporate the Thomas Cook brand and message, without having to start over, as we would have with a printed piece. Our second run is 300,000 units to provide DVDs to every Thomas Cook store in the country.”
 
The final DVD utilises over an hour of video footage from 25 scenes/countries.  Commenting on the project, M-Corp Account Director, Brett Craigmile, “We were excited to win this project because the proposition really benefits from a rich interactive presentation.  Printed pieces just don’t suffice when it comes to portraying an emotional holiday experience, whereas having a DVD at your fingertips is the next closest thing to being on the ship.  M-Corp has a wealth of experience in high impact educational solutions – whether video, kiosk, CD ROM or DVD.”
 
The DVD is now available at all Thomas Cook Stores.  For further information regarding M-Corp, please call 01425 477766 or visit www.m-corp.com.