Dive Brief:

• Royal Caribbean is pairing Snap's Spectacles with specially-designed scuba masks called "SeaSeekers" to bring immersive video of underwater adventures to its branded Snapchat channel, according to a news release.
• The initial experience will be based on three dives from June 21 to 25. Marine wildlife photographer and conservationist Roberto will lead the first dive, filming the annual migration of whale sharks in Cozumel, Mexico; marine biologist and co-founder of the organization Oceanus, A.C. Gabriela Nava will film a coral reef restoration project her team has been working on; and free diver Ashleigh Baird will visit the Great Blue Hole, an underwater sinkhole, in Belize.
• Snapchat was chosen because it is a popular channel for curious travelers as well as the ideal platform for this type of experience, said Jim Berra, chief marketing officer and SVP of marketing, Royal Caribbean International, in the press release. Berra added that the cruise brand has applied for a patent for the SeaSeekers mask to bring it to Royal Caribbean guests exclusively.

Dive Insight:

There have been a number of brand integrations with Spectacles, Snap's camera-enabled sunglasses, since they launched last year, with many leveraging the technology to provide social media followers backstage, behind-the-scenes or front row access to otherwise exclusive events or places. Royal Caribbean's SeaSeekers take that idea a step further in terms of immersion and giving a peek into the experiences the brand can provide.

By simply coupling Spectacles with scuba masks designed to accommodate the device, Royal Caribbean can produce unique content exclusive for its followers that acts as a sort of guerilla-style take on the type of series that might play on a channel like Discovery Network. It's perhaps unsurprising that Discovery Communications is also partnering with Snap to spinoff popular offerings like "Shark Week." 

Snapchat is becoming a popular destination for marketing in the hospitality industry. Hyatt launched a new global platform called "World of Hyatt" in February, with an effort that included its employees wearing Spectacles in order to share their workday perspective. Marriott is also running an unscripted original series on Snapchat called "Six Days, Seven Nights" that tours social influencers around the world.