MSC Cruises, the contemporary brand of the Cruise Division of MSC Group, launches a new global brand campaign entitled “Discover the future of cruising”, which will roll-out in more than 30 countries through a multi-channel global marketing campaign including TV, out of home, print media, digital and social media.
With this new campaign, MSC Cruises will show how sustainability is at the beating heart of its daily activities and long-term growth strategy.
The brand concept asks what does the future of cruising look like?
This question is the leitmotiv of the whole campaign. The bold and distinctive creative concept is about MSC Cruises’ commitment to be the future of cruising, showcasing the fleet’s environmental performance with glimpses of life on board, in a warm, charming and engaging way. From the sustainable technologies integrated on the brand’s ships, to the unique shows and entertainment, to innovative restaurant concepts, MSC Cruises is pushing the boundaries of the holiday experience at sea.
The TV spot was filmed on board MSC Cruises’ first LNG-powered and most environmentally advanced ship to date, MSC World Europa, which came into service late last year.
While focusing on some of the unique environmental technologies and solutions of this new ship, the campaign also demonstrates the wider and long-standing sustainability commitment and progress across the brand’s fleet of 21 vessels and the broader Cruise Division of MSC Group.
It is also the first campaign in the industry that squarely focuses on a brand’s sustainability commitment and makes it central to its engagement with consumers, travel partners and other stakeholders from the broader society.
“Already cruising is one of the best holiday options on offer for consumers today, but many of our guests don’t realise that is has important sustainability aspects as well,” said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of the cruise division of MSC Group.
“We have long had a steadfast focus on sustainable and environmentally responsible business practices and on protecting guests, employees, and the communities in which we operate. Today more than ever, brands like MSC Cruises recognise the vital importance of the environment, and a healthy and viable planet and this is why we think it is important for us to take a leadership role and make our sustainability commitments a key element of our discourse with consumers and overall society. Sustainability at MSC Cruises is central to the brand’s DNA and the way we operate as a business.”
This is reflected in MSC Cruises’ Sustainability Action Plan, which establishes six key workstreams across the business: transitioning to net-zero emissions, scrutinising resource use and waste, supporting people, investing in sustainable tourism, building greener terminals, and procuring sustainably. Actions within the plan are accompanied by goals, with measurable targets.
“We have been investing heavily, for many years, in solutions and technologies that continuously and progressively reduce our environmental footprint. From 2017 to 2023, we invested more than eight billion euros in a more modern and efficient fleet with ten new vessels that have each been progressively more environmentally advanced than the last. The new brand campaign for MSC Cruises is a vital tool to explain to consumers and other stakeholders how our commitment to sustainability is articulated on our ships and across our business and showcases how central it is to everything that we do,” said Mr Vago.
The Cruise Division’s efforts, to date, have contributed to a carbon intensity reduction of 35% since 2008, putting it in a good position to meet the industry wide IMO target of a 40% intensity reduction by 2030.
The Cruise Division of MSC Group is firmly committed to achieving its long-term goal of zero-impact cruise operations by 2050 and is well advanced on this journey.
“We have already virtually eliminated emissions like SOx and NOx from our operations and now we are focused on reducing carbon emissions with LNG. It is the fuel with lowest carbon emissions available at the scale we need. We have already got one vessel using it and two more under construction with the third planned to incorporate new technology to minimise methane slip and thus further reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions when using LNG,” said Linden Coppell, Vice President of Sustainability & ESG at the Company.
“This is the first step in our journey that involves transitioning to LNG in the short-term, low carbon in the medium-term, and net-zero carbon fuels, including synthetic and bio LNG and synthetic and bio methanol, in the longer-term. As the low-carbon fuels aren’t yet available in any meaningful quantities, we are helping accelerate their development and scaling through our investments in ever more advanced ships and related environmental technologies. With every new cruise ship built, MSC Cruises introduces and tests new technical solutions that can utilise these fuels thus providing the encouragement needed to fuel suppliers and governments responsible for provision by showing them that we are ready and hungry for low and net-zero carbon fuels.”
Delivered in October 2022, MSC World Europa is MSC Cruises’ first LNG powered vessel.
