Anchoring in Ultra-Luxury: The landmark partnership bringing Scenic Eclipse II to Sydney Harbour

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Anchoring in Ultra-Luxury: The landmark partnership bringing Scenic Eclipse II to Sydney Harbour

On Friday, April 19 2024, Scenic Eclipse II, one of The World’s First Discovery Yachts, sailed into Sydney Harbour.​

This marked a significant milestone for Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours which was founded in Australia: the first time in their 38-year history that one of their ships has graced Australian waters. But the excitement didn't start there. ​

A year earlier, Scenic Eclipse featured in a ten-episode docuseries, Maritime Masters: Expedition Antarctica. Filmed by the Warners Bros. Discovery Channel on the ship, it followed Scenic's world-class crew through the most remote destinations on Earth.

In collaboration with Thump Media, Nine was entrusted by Scenic to deliver a full-funnel, integrated campaign that would bring the Scenic Eclipse II arrival to the Australian market with maximum impact and brand exposure, tied in with the storytelling of their Maritime Masters docuseries. ​

Key objectives:​

1. Boost consideration and sales conversion amongst the 45+ demographic in Australia. ​

2. Target ultra-high net worth individuals with a high propensity to travel. ​

3. Leverage Scenic’s 15+ year partnership with Nine’s TODAY and Getaway programs.​

Delivering integrated, cross-platform exposure to the event

Leveraging the cross-platform ecosystem, Nine were able to position the Scenic Eclipse II front and centre of the editorial cycle across television, digital, print & radio.​

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Addressed brand consideration and mass awareness using Scenic’s longstanding partnerships with Getaway and TODAY.

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Radio 2GB and The Sydney Morning Herald targeted Sydneysiders and 45+ travel intenders, while The Australian Financial Review targeted ultra-high net worth audiences through digital, print, and bespoke event integrations.​

A Comprehensive Execution

Planning for the campaign began in November 2022, involving several key phases;

PHASE 1

12 months from arrival and the launch of Maritime Masters​

PHASE 2

6 months from arrival

PHASE 3

6 weeks from arrival

PHASE 4

Arrival day

From 12 to six months prior to arrival, Getaway featured episodes of the Scenic Eclipse sailing around Scotland and Antarctica, setting the stage for its anticipated arrival in Australia. Across Nine’s Digital platforms, targeted display ads directed viewers to Scenic’s website with creative messaging to build hype that “Ultra-luxury cruising is coming to Australia”. ​

Nine's Publishing delivered a media-first wrap of the AFR Life & Leisure Luxury Cruise gloss edition, plus bespoke event integration within the inaugural AFR About Time Watch Fair, placing Scenic brochures into the hands of affluent attendees and giving guests an exclusive taste of onboard dining with a cocktail offering. ​

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Six weeks before the arrival, TODAY launched dedicated Scenic-branded segments and billboards. Hosts conducted live weather updates onboard Scenic Eclipse II, giving Australian viewers an exclusive look at the ship’s six-star facilities, plus interviews with Scenic crew and their 'Maritime Masters'. The reach extended across social channels, with branded segments and interviews shared on TODAY’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. All the TODAY promotion linked to the "Ultimate Cruise Giveaway", a competition offering a chance to win a Kimberley cruise valued at over $80,000. 2GB joined in with a cruise giveaway, live reads, recorded commercials, and on-air interviews with Scenic’s 'Maritime Masters'.​

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Arrival day was championed by live outside broadcasts of TODAY and 2GB onboard, exclusive Getaway interviews with the 'Masters' and high-impact digital takeovers of the SMH and AFR. The day culminated in an evening event onboard, in collaboration with the AFR, targeting ultra-high net worth individuals. Guests enjoyed a tour of the 6-star Discovery Yacht, a seven-course menu, and exclusive speeches from Scenic's executive team, VP Oceans Hotel Operations and 'Master', Chef Tom Goetter, interviewed by AFR's Jill Dupleix.

Voyage to Victory: Exceptional results delivering extensive media coverage and capturing new customers

The Scenic Eclipse II arrival campaign not only delivered on all objectives but soared beyond expectations.

  • 86.8% Sign up Rate: The 2GB activity reached over 507,000 people and the cruise giveaway received strong engagement with over 86% opt-in rate, with the Total Audio campaign delivering +321% ROI against paid media.
  • Up to 0.24% CTR: Across high impact Digital executions, total impressions over delivered by more than 1 million+ reaching a CTR of up to 0.24%.
  • Top 5 Consumer Promotion: The TODAY competition generated over 42,000 entries and delivered within the top five most successful consumer promotions in the program’s history.
  • +$700K Added Value: The Broadcast coverage on TODAY reached a daily national audience of 214,000 and delivered over $700,000AUD of incidental broadcast exposure as added value.
    Source: 2GB and TODAY Campaign Analytics 2024
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Contact us for more information on how your brand can leverage the power of Nine to deliver real business outcomes.

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Consumer Pulse Sport August 2024

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WHAT'S HOT AND WHAT'S NOT

August 2024

Consumer Pulse – Sport surveys around 2,000 national respondents spanning Nine’s TV, digital, print and talk radio audiences.

The monthly survey covers attitudes and behaviours towards viewing sports and the influence of sport on Australian culture.

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 07: Gold medalist Nina Kennedy of Team Australia reacts after winning in the Women's Pole Vault Final on day twelve of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 07, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

16-19 August, 2024

Inside this month’s Consumer Pulse – Sport dip

16-19 August, 2024

Consumer Insights

Sport content platforms Nine audiences are engaging with

The 2024 Paris Olympics saw Australians engaging with sports at an all-time high. 9 in 10 of Nine’s audiences engaged with sports, sports personalities/athletes or sports-related content during the second week of the Olympic Games. Watching on free-to-air TV was the most popular platform for sports content, followed by watching/reading content online or on news websites/apps.

Surge in time spent watching sports on FTA TV

Among those who engaged with sports in the past week, time spent watching on free-to-air TV surged to an average of 3 hours, a significant increase of 41 minutes per week, recorded in July. Watching sports on pay-TV/streaming services had the highest time spent but remained stable, with an average of 3 hours 26 minutes. Participating in sports ranked second but was down by 19 minutes. Time spent attending a live game/match in person was also down (14 min) on the previous month.

Sports impact on mood

Engaging with sports or sport-related content had an overall positive impact on Nine’s audiences last week, with a net emotion score of 58%. The Top 10 emotions were all positive, with encouraged seeing the largest increase from the previous month. People aged 45 or over were significantly more likely to feel entertained or relaxed, while the under-45s were slightly more likely to feel stressed.

Conversation Starters

Olympic Games engagement

Of Nine audiences who were following the Olympic Games Paris 2024 claimed to have watched some form of Olympic content

Olympic Games in Paris 2024: Live broadcast leads audience preferences 

Among Nine audiences who were following the Olympic Games Paris 2024, 95% claimed to have watched some form of Olympic content, with 7 in 10 watching the live broadcast and 6 in 10 watching the highlights. More than half (54%) read Olympic content (reading highlights, most popular), while 1 in 3 (34%) listened to content, mostly ppl 55+.

Women were more likely than men to have watched the athlete(s) stories/behind-the-scenes content, read a social media post/meme, or listened to Olympic highlights.

BRAND CONSIDERATIONS

To effectively target women, who are more inclined to engage with athlete stories and behind-the-scenes content, your brand should prioritise these content types.

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 08: Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen, Jackson Collins and Noah Havard of Team Australia compete during the Men's Kayak Four 500m - Semifinal 1 on day thirteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium on August 08, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Paralympic Excitement

of Nine’s audience are excited for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024

Increased excitement for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 

6 in 10 of Nine’s audience are excited for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024, up from 49% in May. Over 7 in 10 intend to stay up to date with the Paralympic Games.

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Brand Considerations

Tailor your products and services to align with the Paralympic Games. This will help your brand effectively connect with the growing excitement for the Paralympic Games, foster meaningful engagement, and align itself with the values and spirit of the event.

Most Anticipated Paralympic sport/athlete

Top 10 sports & athletes Nine audiences’ were looking forward to watching compete in the Paralympic Games Paris 2024

Top 10 Sports
1Swimming
2Athletics
3Wheelchair basketball
4Cycling - Track
5Wheelchair rugby
6Wheelchair tennis
7Rowing
8Cycling - Road
9Para canoe
10Para triathlon
Top 10 Athletes
1Madison De Rozario (Wheelchair racer)
2Alexa Leary (Paralympic swimmer)
3Col Pearse (Paralympic swimmer)
4Ahmed Kelly (Paralympic swimmer)
5Curtis McGrath (Paracanoeist)
6Brendan Hall (Paralympic swimmer)
7Ryley Batt (Wheelchair rugby player)
8Grant Patterson (Paralympic swimmer)
9James Turner (Paralympic athlete)
10Angie Ballard (Paralympic athlete)
TOKYO, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 05: Madison de Rozario fo Team Australia reacts after winning the gold medal in the women's Marathon - T54 on day 12 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at Olympic Stadium on September 05, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

Brand Considerations

As Madison De Rozario is the top athlete audiences are eager to see, your brand should reflect her values of resilience, determination and excellence in its messaging. Aligning with her character will enhance your brand’s emotional connection with the audience.

Olympics Advertising

found the ads memorable in one way or another.

Memorable and engaging advertising during the Olympic Games Paris 2024

8 in 10 of those who recall seeing or hearing any advertisement during the Olympic Games, found the ads memorable in one way or another. Ads that were humorous/ light-hearted were most memorable during the Olympic Games (40%), followed by ads that were entertaining (36%), inspiring/ motivating (23%), or emotionally driven, story-telling ads (22%).

Three year old boy eating in front of a television and surprised from what he see

Brand Considerations

Your brand should focus on creating advertisements with a humorous or light-hearted tone, as these were found to be most memorable. Leveraging humour will foster a positive and engaging experience, ensuring your ads capture consumers attention and leave a lasting impression.

Source: Nine’s Consumer Pulse - Sports Edition, August 2024 (n=2,124)

 

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Inside Nine’s Travel Trends Index: Empowering brands with data-driven insights

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Inside Nine's Travel Trends Index: Empowering brands with data-driven insights

In the ever-evolving landscape of travel, understanding the preferences and behaviours of Australian travellers is crucial for delivering content that resonates far and wide. To get to the heart of these insights, Nine recently launched the Aussie Travel Trends Index – a survey meticulously crafted to explore the travel habits and aspirations of Australians.

9Travel Editor, Kristine Tarbert, gives us an in-depth look at how this survey was conducted, the key findings, plus what it means for content creators and marketers alike.

The method behind the insights

The Aussie Travel Trends Index stems from a robust survey conducted across Nine's diverse audience - spanning TV, digital, print, and radio platforms. Highlighting the breadth of respondents and with a focus on understanding the heartbeat of Australian travel, Kristine explains:  

With over 1,100 respondents, the survey was carefully weighted to ensure a nationally representative sample of Australians aged 18 and over. We asked a range of questions - everything from spending habits, to favourite travel spots and beaches as well as honeymoon and camping destinations.

The goal was twofold: firstly, to ensure our content aligns with the top interests of our readers, and secondly, to equip our commercial team with data-driven insights to facilitate more informed conversations with our partners. By understanding what excites our audience, we can better serve both their needs and the interests of our advertisers.

Shaping content with purpose: How insights drive cross-platform synergy

The ability to craft content that resonates on a broad scale, while still being finely tuned to specific audience segments, is a testament to Nine’s cross-platform capabilities. This is especially crucial in today’s media landscape, where delivering tailored content that truly resonates with audiences is key to maintaining high engagement.

“The survey insights are instrumental in shaping the content across Nine's platforms, particularly for 9Travel and the Today Show. By identifying the destinations and types of holidays our audiences are interested in, we can tailor our content to provide them with the inspiration and information they most need and want. 

Whether a detailed guide to a trending destination or tips for planning a perfect camping trip, our content is perfectly aligned with our audience's travel plans.” 

Diverse audiences, unique preferences

The results showcased a clear appetite for travel in Australia, with Eastern Seaboard locations amongst the most popular, and Tasmania a surprise winner across various categories. Delving into the differences between the 9Travel and Today Show audiences, Kristine revealed some fascinating distinctions.

“While there are similarities, each audience has its own unique appetite for travel. 9Travel visitors, for example, showed a greater interest in camping and are willing to spend a bit more on their adventures. Meanwhile, Today Show viewers show a stronger preference for classic destinations like the Gold Coast, especially those under 45. 

Internationally, the USA, Hawaii, and Fiji were popular choices for Today Show viewers, while Europe remained the top choice overall for Nine’s audience.” 

The most significant takeaway

In a challenging economic climate, one thing remains clear: Australians passion for travel is unwavering.

Despite the current cost of living pressures, travel remains front of mind, and in fact a priority for many. The growth we’ve seen in 9Travel’s audience since we launched in February, having hit over 1 million users in June, is a testament to this. Our ability to stay on top of trends, and truly understand what our readers are interested in is second to none.” 

Leveraging the Travel Trends Index for campaign success

For brands looking to connect more deeply with their target audience, the insights from the Travel Trends Index are a goldmine. Whilst informing Nine’s content strategy across platforms like 9Travel and the Today Show, we can also equip brands with the knowledge needed to craft effective campaigns that truly align with the current travel landscape. Whether it’s tapping into growing interest in domestic travel or aligning with the top international destinations, these insights empower brands to make more informed decisions.

 

Source: Ipsos iris Online Audience Measurement Service July 2024, Age 14+, PC/laptop/smartphone/tablet, Text only, Brand Group, Travel (News Only) Tier 2 Category, Audience (000s), Avg Mins PP, Page Views (000s).

Looking to connect with Nine's travel enthusiasts? We'd love to hear from you.

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