Our Marketing Director came in to this international cruise line to change the culture of the marketing department. This then helped them achieve their stated aim to be a recognised brand in the travel space.

Company Profile

Orion Expedition Cruises was a boutique international cruise line. They specialised in providing intimate and luxurious cruising experiences in some of the world’s most remote and beautiful locations. Founded in 2005, Orion has been at the forefront of explorative cruising. They’ve taken travellers to such diverse destinations as Antarctica, Papua New Guinea, and the South Pacific.

CEO’s Mission

Having recently launched 3 years prior, the CEO was lacking someone in-house with senior marketing experience to take ownership of the marketing and sales function. Then, the CEO could focus on running the business. The director came in as Sales and Marketing Director with a brief to transform the cruise line into an internationally recognised brand.

What Our Director Did

The Director started by introducing the concept of objective-based management planning (OGSM). This provided a concrete framework across the organisation for assessing progress and to ensure the business was moving in the right direction.

After doing a SWOT analysis, we saw that the best way for Orion to achieve its business goals would be by rebranding and repositioning their messaging to appeal to a broader global base.

Our Marketing Director got to work developing an ‘in-house agency’. This agency covered design, PPC, social media, and content marketing. This resulted in some award-winning campaigns for this international cruise line.

Through a variety of marketing efforts that included customer segmentation, targeted marketing and innovative CRM, the MD helped to significantly increase Orion’s profit margins and reduce their marketing spend over a 4 year period.

We also helped Orion launch into new markets including the US, the UK, Germany and South Africa.

The Results

  • Our MD helped increase ARR by 68% over a four year period.
  • Helped contribute to the LFL sales growth on the first cruise ship by 18%.
  • Orion was acquired by National Geographic late in 2012, in part thanks to the success of our MD’s marketing initiatives which helped Orion become an internationally-recognized brand.