Norwegian Kicks Off Mysterious New Campaign
Norwegian Cruise Line is kicking off the new year with a mysterious new marketing campaign. Over the past few days, Norwegian Cruise Line’s social media pages have removed the traditional sea-blue NCL logo and replaced it with a new black-and-off-white version. But what does this mean?
New Monochromatic Norwegian Logo Version
While some might describe the new Norwegian logo used on the website and social media as “black and white,” it’s actually black and off-white or cream, with an almost sepia tone. While the average user might not see it this way, some marketing agency that Norwegian Cruise Line has presumably paid quite a bit of money to has determined that black and white is too simple, and this use of off-white creates something uniquely different.
Other than that, though, the logo is identical, using the same font, spacing, and wave design under the NCL. That means this change is more like an alternative format or colorway than a truly new logo. It also means Norwegian doesn’t have to spend millions swapping out logos on existing merchandise and travel agent materials.
“It’s Different Out Here” Tagline Returns
The logo change was also accompanied by a new graphic featuring the marketing tagline, “It’s different out here.” Presumably, that’s what is going to be the key message of this new marketing campaign. Their current marketing campaign is still using the “More at Sea” tagline featuring celebrity and Celebrity Aqua godfather Eric Stonestreet.
This isn’t the first time Norwegian has used this tagline. In the mid-90s, Norwegian ran the “It’s Different Out Here” ad campaign. Developed by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, this award-winning campaign featured black-and-white images that focused on the more adult aspects of cruising. The copy in the ads included phrases like “making love at 4 in the afternoon” and “being naked more.”
Teaser Video Just Creates More Questions
Norwegian also released a new video on their social media channels. The video depicts an old wooden ship with several old-school sailors dressed in white wigs and waistcoats. The gentlemen then start dancing around, moved by the pulsating music in the background. It feels like something that would be out of a bloopers room from a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The title is “Something different is coming…”
A Big Announcement or Just Marketing
It’s still not clear if these materials are the start of a big announcement or just a new marketing campaign for the brand. It’s common for cruise lines to roll out marketing campaigns that don’t introduce any real changes to the ships or services guests experience, but instead try to create buzz.
Norwegian does have two more ships in the Prima Class that haven’t been announced yet, but that doesn’t seem to fit this campaign. Norwegian has already trademarked several possible names for the ships, and none of them really align with the tagline “It’s different out here.”
- Aura
- Ombra
- Ultima
- Vela
- Bella
They also have an order for four new ships in a new class, but it seems early to announce names or details, as those ships won’t launch until 2030.
Norwegian also just announced a change back to “Free at Sea” from “More at Sea” and introduced “Free at Sea Plus” last month, so it’s unlikely those will be the focus either.
Most likely, it’s just a marketing campaign with new ads and messaging to differentiate Norwegian’s offerings from competitors.
Want to Stay Up-to-date on Norwegian Cruise Line News?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
CruiseSpotlight is an Amazon Associate. We may earn a commission when you click links to retailers and purchase goods.
