Greg steepled his fingers with a smile.
I flicked the new slide onto the screen. ‘This is just one way we could juxtapose young people partying with a sophisticated couple enjoying cocktails against the ocean backdrop. Excalibur is the only destination they’ll ever need. Their portal to the rest of the world.’
‘With a nod to the old A to Z maps,’ Heidi added, spit balling. ‘Travelling across the world from A to Gen Z.’
‘Interesting,’ Brooke said, thoughtfully. ‘So, is the idea about a new generation or multi-destinations? Or the ship as a gateway?’
‘It encompasses all of those thoughts,’ I said, floundering.
‘I’m confused,’ Mindy said.
‘It’s very simple.’ Heidi smiled. ‘Gen Zs mapping their way across the world on a cruise ship via multiple destinations. AKA the cruise is their gateway.’
I caught Zach rolling his eyes at Leo and inwardly seethed.
‘I like it,’ Elizabeth said, and my shoulders dropped in relief. ‘But it’s a sector ad; it isn’t Excalibur-specific.’
She had a point. I tried out one of my NLP techniques and nodded to agree with her.
‘You’re right. And that’s because as the market leader, you do a lot of heavy lifting for the sector. We’ve been working hard to shift perceptions on cruising for years and in owning that leadership position, you’ve become the go-to brand for cruising. When people book a cruise, they consider you first. The original, premium, classic.’
It was a word salad, but I delivered it confidently enough to get them all thinking.
Heidi joined in. ‘And we can layer on the specific activities that only Excalibur offer… and drill down into the individual boats. This could be theEsmeraldaexecution, for example.’
‘I see,’ Brooke said, scrutinising the shot. ‘And you only have one execution to share with us today?’
‘Yes, we felt this was the most powerful representation of the thought. The young couple sharing an intimate moment in the shadows, the party going on in the background, the boat on the move to its next destination.’
‘Is that you in the photo?’ Mindy asked.
I whipped round to look at it. ‘Erm… No… I don’t think so?’
‘Good spot, Mindy!’ Greg said, putting his glasses on to take a closer look. ‘With Leo, if I’m not mistaken?’
‘Hardly Gen Z then, no offence,’ Elizabeth piped up. ‘Clearly you’re enjoying yourselves though. Remember when we were like that, Greggy?’
The photo had the couple in shadow, but it was definitely me and Leo. How had I not instantly realised? My cheeks flushed as I lost my train of thought. Someone must have captured that moment after the Salsa class when we very nearly lost control of ourselves and kissed on the boat. How had this photo ended up in the presentation?
‘So it is,’ Leo said, chuckling awkwardly, his eyes burning into me as he slowly raised his eyebrows.
‘It’s… er… just a positional,’ I said, desperate to flick on to the next slide, but knowing there wasn’t one. ‘We’d use much younger models to get the vibe right.’
‘There’s definitely a strong vibe coming through,’ Brooke murmured, and Mindy and Elizabeth giggled.
‘The point is that a focus on the younger audience is essential,’ Heidi said, trying to get the conversation back on track. ‘They need to be front and centre.’
‘Even though you haven’t shown a younger audience in your one piece of creative?’ Greg batted back, sharply. ‘Is that the end of the presentation?’
‘We’d like to invite any questions,’ I said, feeling weak. I switched my laptop off and the buzz of technology stopped, leaving us all in silence.
‘No questions from me. Anyone else?’ Greg asked, standing up and making it clear the meeting was over. Brooke, Elizabeth and Mindy shook their heads. ‘Excellent, well then, thank you all for coming in and you’ll hear from us very soon.’ He shook our hands, one after the other. ‘Ladies, gents. Brooke will see you out.’
And that was that.
Thirty-two
Friday 23rd July
