Dive Brief:
- Carnival Cruise Line is bringing the cruise experience to Twitch with an interactive livestream as part of its “Find Your Fun Again” campaign, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
- Carnival Fleet Cruise Director Erin Weigand will join streamer iJustine Nov. 15 on the brand’s Twitch account to take part in “Play Carnival,” a game based on the Carnival Celebration ship. The streamer’s actions will be dictated by a poll that lets viewers decide what side quests she takes. It will be co-streamed on Carnival’s Instagram and TikTok accounts.
- The effort falls under the “Carnival Is Calling” brand platform that launched a year ago. A teaser featuring Weigand will run on social media in the lead-up to the livestream.
Dive Insight:
Carnival is turning to Twitch to give consumers a unique look at what a trip aboard one of its vessels would entail at a time when the demographics of the average cruise passenger are in flux. The activation comes as the company reported record-high bookings for 2027 and a net income of $1.9 billion in the third quarter, an all-time high for the company. However, gross margin yields fell 1.3% due to high fueling costs, per an earnings release.
Cruising has become more popular than ever, with a record 22.4 million Americans expected to take a cruise in 2027, up 3.6% year over year, per AAA research. The pre-pandemic total for American cruise travelers was 14.2 million. While the vacation choice is stereotypically associated with older demographics, the average age of an American cruiser is 45.8, and millennials and Gen Z travelers are increasingly drawn to the travel method due to lower costs and value-oriented packages, according to AAA research.
The livestream will feature a custom-built game in which iJustine, who has nearly 55,000 followers on Twitch at press time, will tackle challenges on the simulated Carnival Celebration. The ship’s spaces and activities, as well as destinations from the brand’s Paradise Destinations collection, will be part of the gameplay. Along with input from the audience, Weigand will help keep energy high by introducing challenges, passing on requests from viewers and offering community instructions. iJustine, who will be playing live onboard, will work to earn her cruise director badge and a Fun Meter will track energy levels.The game is over once the meter hits zero.
To encourage participation, audience members will have the chance to win a cruise vacation. The full livestream will be posted to Instagram and TikTok the day after the event so fans can catch up on what they missed. The game will not be made available to the public after the stream.
“We’re constantly looking for new ways to push the boundaries on how we connect with consumers, and Play Carnival takes that thinking to a whole new level,” said Michael Sotelo, vice president of brand, product and social media at Carnival Cruise Line, in press materials.
The effort falls under the “Find Your Fun Again” campaign, which encourages consumers to ditch the stress and monotony of everyday life and find joy aboard a Carnival ship. Actor Nick Offerman took center stage in a spot in which he goes on vacation after smashing his phone due to receiving an overload of notifications.
Amazon-owned platform Twitch has become a go-to for brands looking to experiment with connecting with young consumers. Last year, E.l.f. Cosmetics became the first brand to test Twitch’s livestream shopping ads.
