The Challenge

Moving from the best cruise line to the best vacation of all time

Royal Caribbean was already the #1 cruise line in the world — the most loved, most trusted, and most booked. Their ships continually pushed the industry forward through category-first innovation, bigger experiences, and unmatched entertainment at sea.

But success had created a new kind of challenge: they had become a stagnant giant.

For years, Royal Caribbean had dominated by behaving like the leader of the cruise category. But as the company was expanding into beach clubs and destination experiences, they were entering a much larger vacation landscape — competing against every other version of a premium getaway.

Royal Caribbean came to us with a clear challenge: help us move from the leader in cruises to the leader in vacations — with a campaign that goes as big as we do.

The Wake Up

Tapping into that all-in energy

Royal Caribbean needed to attract a new audience: vacationers who had never cruised before. That meant changing how the brand moved — from a cruise-category incumbent to a modern vacation brand capable of connecting emotionally and culturally with a broader audience.

We uncovered a powerful audience truth: nearly half of vacationers agreed that when they vacation, they want to “go all in.” Our goal was to invite a new generation of vacationers to tap into a bigger, bolder kind of vacation energy.

The Stance + The Movement

It’s Big Time

We created “It’s Big Time” — a fully integrated brand platform built to capture the vivid, unforgettable nature of a Royal Caribbean vacation.

Bigger. Brighter. Bolder. The campaign embraced energy, movement, color, spontaneity, and emotional intensity in a way that felt fundamentally different from the cruise category. Instead of polished, passive vacation advertising, the work felt active, social, immersive, and culturally connected.

“It’s Big Time” helped Royal Caribbean expand beyond traditional cruisers — reaching younger travelers, weekend vacation seekers, and experienced travelers looking for a new experience.

Most importantly, Royal Caribbean stopped acting like a cruise incumbent and started behaving like a modern vacation challenger.

The Pulse

The vacation category got a new giant

“It’s Big Time” helped reposition Royal Caribbean from a cruise-category leader into one of the most top-of-mind vacation brands in the broader travel landscape.