This latest cruise company slogan spotlights a cringeworthy tradition

Luxury small-ship cruise company Silversea recently rolled out a new marketing slogan, but “To finding more” is surely one of the most inelegant taglines ever invented for an elegant company.

Silversea says the slogan “embodies the joy of travel” and marks a shift in luxury cruising with its hint of discoveries and new experiences. Hmm, if you say so.

To me it feels like an awkward, unfinished sentence that never tells you what more you’ll find. And how does it set Silversea apart from the competition? Surely everyone on holiday hopes to find more of… well, something.

Silversea isn’t however alone in awkward slogans. MSC’s “The sea at its most” sounds like another unfinished sentence. And I don’t know what’s with Ponant’s “You are the destination”.

What I know is that Viking’s “Explore the world in comfort” is straightforward yet sounds enticing. Into the same category go slogans such as “There’s always more to discover” (Lindblad Expeditions) and “Explore the world’s wildest places” (Aurora Expeditions).

Slogans are critical to capturing a brand identity or particular marketing campaign. They have to be succinct, memorable and easy to understand.

Humour is often lost on an international market. We all remember the 2006 Tourism Australia “So where the bloody hell are you?” slogan that seemed only to confuse or offend the foreigners it was intended to encourage.

Carnival Cruise Line wins a prize for being plain and consistent. Throughout this millennium, its slogan has morphed from “Your kind of fun” to “So much fun”, then “The fun ships” and most recently “Choose fun”.

I don’t mind a bit of whimsy or imagination in taglines if it makes immediate sense, like Disney’s “Where magic meets the sea”, Seabourn’s “This is your moment” and P&O Australia’s last slogan before it folded, “Bring us all together”.

But what’s with Royal Caribbean’s unenthusiastic “Why not?” in 2008, or its not-much-better “Come seek” in 2015, which just doesn’t sound pretty when spoken out loud? And don’t ask me why in 2011 it came up with “The sea is calling. Answer it royally.”

One of the boldest moves is to make a plain promise, although that sets up expectations that had better be met, or customers end up disappointed.

Oceania Cruises has stuck with “The finest cuisine at sea” for years. Is it true? Well, not always, but it’s very plausible. Oceania’s ships certainly dish up some of the finest cuisine at sea, although they aren’t without competition.

Scenic uses the tagline “The world’s first discovery yachts” which is true, but only because it invented the category “discovery yacht” itself. Still, Scenic Eclipse I and II do combine elements of both expedition and regular luxury ocean ships.

Celebrity Cruises has tried “Let us exceed your expectations” and no doubt fulfils them with their premium ships that often attract guests up from budget ships. Since 2024 “Nothing comes close” is a more ambitious claim, but why not dream big?

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