Princess Cruises is the latest brand to dive into nostalgia, launching a modern tribute to the 1970s TV series The Love Boat, featuring Emmy-winning Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham.
The cruise company’s campaign, created by its agency of record Terri & Sandy and directed by Dave Laden through production company Hungry Man, explores a true piece of history: The 1977 pilot of The Love Boat was shot aboard the cruise ship Sun Princess. Princess Cruises in Mexico. To highlight this connection, Princess Cruises tapped Waddingham to sing a new version of The Love Boat theme song.
The ad shows Waddingham boarding a Princess ship and being greeted by the captain. She then sings the show’s catchy song while enjoying the ship’s amenities, including a smokable craft cocktail, a seafood tower, poolside drinks, a massage, and the view from her room’s terrace.
Princess Cruises chief marketing officer Jim Berra told ADWEEK that the ad was an attempt to break away from the montages of images of ships and destinations that typically dominate the category’s marketing.
The campaign is designed to resonate with both regular Princess travelers and consumers new to cruising, with an emphasis on active seniors, families with teens, digitally savvy adults and multigenerational groups looking for shared adventure, Berra explained.
“In addition to standing out creatively, we also saw an opportunity to build on our brand’s legacy of timeless elegance with a modern, innovative style that perfectly aligns with the ‘nowstalgia’ cultural trend that our audience embraces,” he said.
A series of 60-, 30-, 15- and 6-second versions of the ad will run across connected TV, digital and social platforms in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. The heroic version will also be shown in US cinemas before screenings of Wicked and Gladiator 2.
Waddingham recorded his version of The Love Boat at the famous Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, a music industry landmark that has hosted artists such as Abba, Bob Marley, Jay-Z and Shakira.
Princess Cruises held Love Boat-themed cruises in 2022 and 2024, featuring meet-and-greets and Q&As with the show’s cast. And in April, the brand named Waddingham godmother of a new Sun Princess Love Boat at a ceremony in Barcelona. The brand has a tradition of giving the role to celebrities, including Princess Diana, Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren.
