With more than 840,000 Facebook fans, Carnival Cruise Lines is among the industry leaders in the social media arena. The company’s efforts have been acknowledged with “Best Facebook Brand Presence” in the 3rd annual Shorty Awards. Often called the Oscars of Social Media, the Shorty awards honor those companies that best utilize the Internet to grow their brand.
Carnival’s “Best Facebook Brand Presence” award recognized the company’s efforts at personalizing the cruise planning experience by encouraging customers to discuss their “Fun Ship” cruise before and after their vacation, and interact with the Carnival cruise community through dialogue, questions and photos. Facebook visitors can also learn more about their upcoming cruise, participate in fun on-line polls, and view Carnival-created videos, photos and content.
Managed by the company’s in-house Internet marketing team and its on-line partner, New York-based Buddy Media, Carnival’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/carnival) has grown by more than 700,000 fans over the past year – a 484 percent increase.