Travel hasn't been terribly popular in recent months, but the Cruise Lines International Association made a big splash by using the visual impact of a remote location this
winter.
The association's agency, Diana M. Orban Associates (DMOA), decided that this year was the year to debut an SMT to create great visuals for consumers and generate media
interest in advance for a traditional two-week media tour. The SMT and media tour were part of the CLIA's promotions for National Cruise Vacation Month.
In the SMT, experts addressed travel value as well as security measures. The president of the CLIA wanted to focus on the unprecedented values available to travelers this year.
Information on security measures, as well as the scenic background (including audible seagulls) helped the SMT to reassure viewers about traveling by ship.
DWJ TV produced the SMT and followed it up with pitches of b-roll and soundbites produced on location. By mid-February, the SMT had been aired more than 140 times and had
generated more than two million viewer impressions.
"We always tell our clients remote locations make a difference, and the feedback from news producers confirmed it," says Jim Moldow, VP with DWJ. Evidently news producers have
a thing for seagull sound effects. (Dawn French, DWJ TV, 201/445-1711, [email protected])