Holland America Line
Reintroducing Holland America Line to a new generation of travellers.
A subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, Holland America Line (HAL) has been a recognised leader in cruising for over 149 years, cruising seven continents across the globe.
The situation.
During COVID, the cruise industry was deeply impacted by uncertainty and safety concerns.
Holland America Line engaged Studio LDN to understand how the brand was perceived in Australia, identify what was influencing trust and purchase decisions, and define a clear path forward in a changed market.
The goal was not to return to business as usual, but to rebuild confidence, sharpen relevance, and position the brand for future growth.
The objective.
To understand how Australians perceived the Holland America Line brand post-COVID, and identify what would rebuild confidence, relevance, and demand.
This included clarifying who the most valuable future audience would be, how brand messaging should evolve, and where the greatest opportunities for growth existed across the customer journey.
The process.
We conducted a comprehensive research and insight programme to uncover real consumer sentiment. From stakeholder interviews to customer-first quantitative and qualitative research.
We explored how people were talking about cruising, what was driving hesitation or confidence, and how expectations had changed across different audience segments and channels.
Insights were synthesised into clear, practical recommendations, providing a single source of truth to guide future brand, marketing, and experience decisions.
The outcome.
This work contributed to an uplift in advance bookings even prior to COVID restrictions being lifted. Thanks to research recommendations, media planning was adjusted to target two new main personas, opening up a new customer base for the business.
The work gave Holland America Line confidence, clarity, and a renewed direction for building trust and growth in a changed market.
This work is part of our brand research practice.
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