MAM
Royal Caribbean International receives EFFIE award
MIAMI: Royal Caribbean International received the New York American Marketing Association’s Silver EFFIE Award a few days ago for its Alaska Get Out There advertising and marketing campaign .
The EFFIE –considered a top honour in the marketing industry — signifies a campaign’s creative excellence and effectiveness in meeting business objectives. Last year, Royal Caribbean received the Gold EFFIE for its Get Out There campaign.
Royal Caribbean International senior VP marketing and sales Dan Hanrahan has been quoted in an official release saying: “We are honoured to receive recognition for this dynamic campaign that has proven successful even beyond our original objectives. The campaign has helped us significantly increase brand awareness. And more importantly, it has helped us show Americans what the Royal Caribbean experience is all about; and get them excited about the adventures they can have on a Royal Caribbean cruise.”
The Alaska Get Out There campaign, created by Arnold Worldwide, is an extension of the original Get Out There initiative launched three years ago. The aim was to reposition the brand; dispel consumer misperceptions of cruising; and generate increased demand for Royal Caribbean.
The campaign’s TV spot opens with two men clinging to the edge of a glacier, with one urging the other to: “Go on, leave me.” A female voice interrupts them saying: “If you two don’t cut it out, I’m going to be late for my massage.” The camera pans up to reveal a Royal Caribbean ship in the background and cuts to fast-paced action-shots of the vacationers climbing the ship’s rock wall, glacier trekking, dog sledding and exploring Alaska’s interior by train car.
The commercial ends with a voice-over tag: “Somewhere between the glacier hiking, the dog sledding, the train tours and the rock wall, it hits you. This is way more than a cruise. See for yourself at royalcaribbean.com and get out there.”
Royal Caribbean and Arnold Worldwide designed the campaign to appeal to consumers the company has identified as “Explorers” — active and adventurous people of all ages and backgrounds who want to do, learn and experience more on vacation. The integrated effort utilises a variety of media including print, television, the Internet and the company’s Crown & Anchor loyalty programme.
Nearly 300 of the US’ top advertising and marketing executives reviewed the campaigns submitted for EFFIE award consideration. EFFIE entries increased by 25 per cent this year, making 2003 one of the toughest competitions ever.
Winning campaigns incorporate all aspects of a successful marketing programme — planning, market research, media, creative and account management — and demonstrate a partnership between agency and client in creation, management and building of a brand.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
