Web Site Lures Customers To New Cruise Ship Before Launch

When Royal Caribbean was faced with the problem of trying to market a product that didn't exist yet, it turned to the Internet. The company was in the process of building a new ship, Freedom of the Seas, and wanted to generate interest in it among travel agents and potential vacationers before it was completed this summer. To achieve that goal, it created a sophisticated Web site with interactive features designed to sell an experience that was still under construction. "Booking a vacation is a big investment, and people want to feel like they know everything they can know about it and the experience beforehand," says Barbara Shrut, vice president-brand operations, finance and administration at Royal Caribbean International. Shrut says she knew consumers appreciated interactive components (such as virtual tours) based on the response to those on the company's main Web site. And the growing number of Americans with broadband capability means that a rich media Web site like freedomoftheseas.com has broader appeal.