Carnival Cruise Lines kicks off the second phase of its new brand advertising program with its “Fun Director” television campaign which begins airing in select local markets today and nationally on Feb. 2.

The “Fun Director” ads were shot aboard the line’s newest ship, the Carnival Splendor, and feature improvisational comedian Matt Fisher who humorously extols various highlights of the Carnival vacation experience. Some spots include amusing interactions with actual shipboard employees such as the “Horn” spot which features Fisher with the ship’s captain on the vessel’s bridge ‘testing out’ various equipment. In the “Stateroom Steward” spot, Fisher introduces viewers to the renowned towel animal-making skills of Carnival’s stateroom stewards, referring to the featured steward, Modesto, as a “terrycloth Michelangelo.”

“The ‘Fun Director’ campaign uses humor to convey the unique experiences and exceptionally fun nature of a Carnival cruise vacation through a spokesperson we believe viewers will connect with and thoroughly enjoy,” said Jim Berra, chief marketing officer for Carnival Cruise Lines. “The first phase of our new brand advertising work featured our world record-breaking beach ball and piñata events in Dallas and Philadelphia. Those spots were designed to run for a limited time and serve as attention-getters to get people thinking and talking about the Carnival brand,” Berra explained. “Now we are moving to the next phase of the campaign, which brings the images and message back on board the ships while continuing to focus on spirited and spontaneous fun.”

The campaign was created by Boston-based Arnold Worldwide and directed by Rick Lemoine of Biscuit Filmworks, who specializes in comedy dialogue and has done a number of award-winning spots for VW, ESPN and Budweiser.

“We created ‘Fun Director’ to allow Carnival to roll up its collective sleeves and invite people on board to show them how amazing the Carnival cruise experience truly is,” said Pete Favat, chief creative officer for Arnold Boston.

The new spots begin airing today in select local markets including New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, on national cable Feb. 2 including Food Network, The Learning Channel and the Travel Channel, and on major U.S. network primetime programming beginning Feb. 9 on shows including CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” and “CSI,” and ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and “Brothers and Sisters.”

The “Fun Director” spots are part of a new overall branding campaign for Carnival under the tagline “Fun For All. All For Fun.”

“The new brand positioning is designed to capture the uniquely social, participatory and spirited nature of a Carnival cruise vacation which creates an environment where people have the freedom to be themselves and have fun,” said Berra.