Antonio Benedico is 93 and has been on 32 cruises with Pullmantur Cruises. Last year his doctor recommended he stop travelling due to mobility problems, and that he should stay at home. So, if Antonio couldn’t leave his home, we would literally turn one of our cabins into a home for him. We researched what we would need to make an exact replica of his home, and in a week, we built the most recognisable part of his house: his bedroom, his bookshelves with all his souvenirs, and his watchmaker’s workshop. On 7 October we gave Antonio a surprise invitation to go on what would be his 33rd cruise and in five frenetic hours, we transformed his cabin into one of the biggest surprises of his life: his home on board.

This campaign focused on social media, with a great push on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

We started on Twitter on 25 October with #CruiseLoversDay, a Trending Topic intended to honor Antonio and his story. On 25 October we gave a great push to the campaign’s main video, which received more than 10 million views.

During subsequent weeks we published contents on all our platforms, with several videos on YouTube, content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter that delivered extra content and directed traffic to our website where users could learn all about Antonio, #CruiseLoversDay and even book a cruise.

11,000,000 views.

63% audience retention.

38.2% more positive noise for the brand.

52.6% positive noise for the campaign.

150% more visits to the web than the previous period.

99% more visits to the web than the previous year and most importantly:

40% more passengers than the same period one year ago.

To make the impossible possible. International maritime law is very strict regarding security. To build our subject’s house from scratch while complying with all the regulations was a challenge. What’s more, we only had five hours to recreate the house as it had been before. This was the first time such a feat had been achieved.

There are three basic audiences in the cruise sector: families, seniors aged 55+ and honeymooners. This touching action moved all of them.

Cruises have been taken over by mass tourism, and the whole thing has become impersonal. That’s why Pullmantur Cruises, Spain’s shipping line par excellence, known and recognised for the quality of its crew, wanted to give a real demonstration of its differential value: personal service. And who better than Antonio, their most loyal cruise passenger, to test it?