Carnival Corporation, owner of Costa Cruises, has officially suspended advertising of the Carnival fleet, according to Vance Gulliksen, spokesperson for the Miami-based mega cruise line company that also owns Princess Cruises, Seabourn, Holland America and Cunard Lines.
"We are actively evaluating marketing across the brands and geographic regions with each brand being sensitive to their specific audiences. For the Carnival Cruise Lines brand, we have suspended broadcast and digital advertising, as well as direct mail marketing for the time being", Gulliksen told Examiner.com.
The decision to halt the advertising came in the wake of January 13, 2012 capsizing of Costa Concordia--which left nearly a dozen people dead and several still missing.
The disaster, off the coast of Italy also took its toll on the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, who was placed under house arrest on January 17 for allegedly causing the shipwreck.
According to the Vancouver Sun, "The world’s largest cruise operator waited almost a week to suspend advertising after the Concordia, carrying 4,200 passengers and crew, ran aground off Italy. Airlines and oil companies typically pull television ads following accidents with fatalities. The wreck occurred at the start of the cruise industry’s peak booking season."
“We’re not in a position to speak to individual brands’ plans, but they are each actively evaluating their marketing and advertising efforts,” Gulliksen said. The company is evaluating marketing across brands and regions, “with each brand being sensitive to their specific audiences.”
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