Highly targetted door drops chartered smooth sailing results

69% of bookings were from new customers
ROAS of 4.3:1 generating £1.35m in revenue from 421 bookings
Ambassador cruise line brochure

Background

Launched in 2021, Ambassador Cruise Line offers no-fly cruises from eight ports across the UK, allowing cruisers to set sail locally without the hassle of flying - a key differentiator from most competitors. Research revealed a strategic advantage: many international cruise passengers book their second cruises from UK ports, perfectly aligning with Ambassador’s offering.

Ambassador set three key objectives to fill their ships for their 2024 sailings:

  • Build brand awareness in the catchment areas of its eight ports 
  • Drive early sales of higher-end suites.
  • Drive highest occupancy levels for summer 2024 sailings.

Solution

Partnering with Whistl, Ambassador used in-depth customer profiling to precisely target key audiences within port catchment areas. Detailed analysis and insights showed the customer profile and heatmap distances from the ports, enabling  Ambassador to optimise their communications around 10 mile radius deciles.

Door drop was chosen as the lead channel to fulfil their strategy. It allowed the communication to be more than a single advert, having the space to tell the brand story and personalise the message based on each of the 8 ports. JICMAIL data supported this decision: according to JICMAIL research, travel sector door drops are seen by 1.04 people, read on average 3.2 times and remain in the home for 5.27 days.

The campaign unfolded in three targeted stages over eight months:

  1. November 2023: Focused on building brand awareness and driving early bookings
  2. March 2024: Promoted suite upgrades to boost sales of higher-value sailings
  3. June 2024: Featured a ‘Summer Sale’ to fill remaining unsold cabins

For each stage, Ambassador crafted eight unique, 8-page booklets tailored to each port’s audience. These booklets included:

  • A personal letter from the CEO.
  • Highlights of key cruise features and details of all sailings from the recipient’s local port to a wide range of destinations
  • A map showing the other 7 ports, demonstrating Ambassador's presence as a business
  • A strong three-way call to action via telephone, website, and QR code.

To differentiate itself as a new player, Ambassador leaned into its unique "No Fly Cruise" positioning - a message woven consistently throughout the campaign.


Results

Ambassador’s targeted approach set sail for success, delivering exceptional results:

  • A ROAS of 4.3:1, generating £1.35m in revenue from 421 bookings.
  • 69% of bookings were from new customers, demonstrating the campaign’s effectiveness in attracting new audiences.

In addition, the Call Centre not only saw a spike in calls to the dedicated phone numbers during the campaign, butpeople also continued to call for months and make bookings after the offer closed.  528 calls made outside the campaign periods generated an additional revenue of £279k.  

The results proved that door drops were a highly effective, targeted channel, delivering not only immediate sales but also a longer shelf life, driving interest and bookings well beyond the campaign dates.

Source: DMA Awards 2024 Entry. Best use of Unaddressed Print and Door drop