Carnival Cruise Lines’ new network TV advertising campaign kicks off December 25 with two :30 spots designed to evoke the kind of spontaneous and spirited fun that underlies the Carnival vacation experience. The two spots were shot during local events held recently in Dallas and Philadelphia attended by several thousand people. During the events, Carnival set Guinness World Records for the world’s largest inflatable beach ball and the world’s largest piñata.

            The new commercials are part of the line’s new “Fun For All. All For Fun.” branding campaign intended to capture the truly unique essence of the Carnival vacation experience. The campaign was created by Boston-based advertising agency Arnold Worldwide.  To develop the campaign’s creative concept, Arnold conducted an intensive study involving thousands of consumers, many of whom are Carnival customers, along with a number of health and lifestyle experts, to gain insight into the importance of fun in people’s lives. 

            “Fun is more important today than ever,” said Ruben Rodriguez, executive vice president of marketing and guest experience for Carnival Cruise Lines.  “These new spots capture a sense of genuine, spontaneous fun which is the same kind of experience that makes a Carnival cruise such a memorable vacation.”

            “There is a difference between telling consumers you’re fun and actually being fun,” added Pete Favat, Arnold’s chief creative officer. “These commercials truly capture the essence of fun and you can’t help but have a good time watching them. We hope that this will create even more passion for the Carnival Cruise Lines brand among consumers.”

            In the “Beach Balls” spot, members of the Carnival Fun Team inflate three gigantic beach balls, each measuring a world record-breaking 35 feet in diameter.  They then roll the balls off the tops of buildings in downtown Dallas as thousands of people below come together to help bounce the enormous balls up and down the city streets.

            In the “Piñata” spot, the Carnival Fun Team assembles the world’s largest piñata in Philadelphia.  Members of the community wake up in the morning to discover the gigantic, colorful donkey measuring over six stories tall, standing near a busy street corner.  Thousands of people begin gathering to help break open the piñata, and celebrate in the 8,000 pounds of candy that showers down from the massive burro.

            Noam Murro directed the TV spots. Murro is well known for his award-winning commercials for Volkswagen, Hummer and Nike. Most recently, he directed the movie “Smart People.”

            The new commercials are scheduled to air nationally on ABC, CBS and NBC as well in select local markets on FOX, on primetime programming including Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty and Private Practice. They will also be running on several cable networks as well as in movie theaters nationwide and in various online channels.

            Carnival is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 18 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Europe, Bermuda and South America.  The line currently has two new ships scheduled for delivery between now and 2011.

Two recent world records set by Carnival Cruise Lines — one for the world’s largest beach ball and another for the world’s largest piñata – which occurred during “Fun Crowd” events in Dallas and Philadelphia in recent weeks — are now featured on the Guinness Book of World Records’ official web site.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIeB0oDXn3s

          Carnival Cruise Lines broke open the world’s largest piñata yesterday in Philadelphia and is donating its entire contents – 8,000 pounds of candy – to local non-profit organizations, including Philabundance, the YMCA, Ronald McDonald House, Dignity Housing,The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Travelers Aid Family Residence Center, among others.

            The candy had been housed within a six-story piñata in South Philadelphia since a television commercial shoot and a “Fun Crowd” event for the public took place there last week.

            Verified as the world’s largest by Guinness World Records last week, the jumbo-sized piñata stood at 60 feet, 4 inches long, 23 feet, 10.5 inches wide and 61 feet, 10.25 inches tall and was the highlight of a block party the cruise line held for local residents.

            Although the piñata was scheduled to be broken open during the event, it was postponed due to safety concerns based on an unexpectedly large number of attendees.

Carnival Cruise Lines broke a Guinness Record for the world’s largest piñata during a Piñata Block Party event in Philadelphia on Sunday, Nov. 2.  According to an onsite Guinness adjudicator, the giant mock donkey measured 60 feet, 4 inches long; 23 feet, 10.5 inches wide and 61 feet, 10.25 inches tall.  The event also featured a variety of entertainment and activities, along with free food and giveaway items, including five seven-day Caribbean cruises from Baltimore on the Carnival Pride.  The event was designed to kick-off the cruise line’s new branding campaign as well as serve as the basis for an upcoming TV commercial.  The actual breaking open of the piñata was postponed due to safety concerns based on an unexpectedly large number of attendees.