Challenge:
The Mitsubishi Group through their subsidiary NYK decided to enter the lucrative and growing luxury cruise industry and create a luxury cruise line from scratch. The challenge was how to create a successful cruise company and brand in a highly competitive industry dominated by a handful of players.

Solution:
The first thing that NYK did was to ensure that they would have the core competencies to compete by hiring seasoned veteran Art Rodney away from his position as president of Princess Cruises to serve as president of Crystal Cruises. Art recognized that to succeed in the competitive cruise market, the company was going to have to differentiate itself from other cruise lines by providing a much better cruise experience to an upscale and discerning clientele. In addition, better solutions would need to be offered at a price not out of reach to a large segment of customers who like to cruise. Art assembled a first-class management team and group of experienced suppliers that he knew he could count on. Art hired experienced professionals from manufacturing, architecture, interior design, and restaurants to get the job done – at record speed. GO was hired within a week after Art was given the green light from NYK.

GO had worked with Princess Cruises for several years and Art Rodney was very happy with the work produced during his tenure. The first assignment was to address the company’s identity program, along with a promotional program to attract the attention of the travel agents. Over the next five years, GO assumed a list of responsibilities, from managing the qualitative research and all aspects of the brand identity to designing and executing consumer and trade marketing materials.

Results:
By listening clearly to the key constituents, GO and Crystal Cruises were able to determine what types of solutions and services were most important and the price range that would be acceptable. By involving travel agents early on through devices such as the “Name the Ship Contest,” we were able to pre-sell the cruise a year in advance, assuring consistency and predictability of revenue and cash flow streams. Today, Crystal Cruises is still perceived as the pre-eminent cruise line in the industry, generating over $300 million in revenue per year.