Over the past 5 to 6 years, the branded entertainment landscape has grown furiously in the United States. More and more marketers are becoming involved as the ROI in branded entertainment campaigns continues to be proven out. In addition, branded entertainment has grown across each and every platform, from integration in television shows to online in digitally focused campaigns as well as mobile platforms. Unlike other areas of the world, there are few restrictions in the United States. Marketers are judged by consumers on whether something feels organic, true, and contextually relevant or whether something is a force fit or too much like an advertisement. There are so many options for consumers today, the biggest obstacle is breaking through the clutter and noise. The overall challenge in creating branded entertainment is making it relevant and engaging for the target consumer while staying true to a brand's ethos.

We hosted the biggest launch party in Royal Caribbean’s history, at the exclusive NYC Frank Gehry building with the Hudson as a backdrop. Amazing turnout from the travel industry community turned them into celebrities for a night. The buzz carried through the media and social stratosphere putting travel agents on the red carpet of the world stage. At the event, we simultaneously live streamed the film to over 30 countries, premiering the ship’s key innovative features, thus, supplying the agents with the tools (the video and its numerous cut-down versions) to carry it forth to wild success.

The launch of Quantum of the Seas, at a live-event in NYC, was the most successful in Royal Caribbean’s history, highlighted by a greater than 50% increase in bookings vs. their previous launch - and that was just in the first week of open bookings!

An eight-minute computer generated video of the ship, shown at the event, garnered over 26 million video impressions with average completion rate of 83%, leading to over 2 million visits to the Quantum microsite, with visitors spending 2 minutes on the site on average. The hashtag #quantumoftheseas trended for 4 hours after the reveal.