Dream Cruises is launching a new branding platform for guests with the theme of “The Mermaid’s Dream.”

“In an unconventional approach to promoting the leisure-cruise proposition, to what is still a relatively nascent cruise market in China, Dream Cruises has taken the iconic mermaid of its logo and weaved around her a ‘fantastical’ storytelling creative conveying the ‘inspirational’ nature of its onboard experiences that promise to bring dream vacations to life for its guests,” said a prepared statement.

The campaign features a love-story between a mermaid and an astronaut.

“Physically bound by their respective elemental universes of outer space and water, they strive to overcome the boundaries that separate them, before finally breaking free to make their impossible dream a reality. The fantastical story and stylized nature of the campaign conveys the luxury, sophistication and elegance of the Dream Cruises brand and serves as a powerful metaphor for its brand purpose of bringing dreams to life,” said Dream.

The campaign was developed by Leo Burnett China.

Eric Leong, Vice President, Brand Marketing & Communications of Dream Cruises said: “There seemed no better way to launch our brand than by bringing to life our brand icon, the mermaid, and the incredible story of our hull artwork. The seemingly impossible romance between a mermaid and an astronaut is imaginative, captivating and inspiring – and these are all elements that we believe represent the experience of a luxury cruise on board Dream Cruises. To differentiate our brand as unique in the market, we wanted to dream big so we adopted a bold and memorable storytelling approach that stands out from the competition, breaking away from traditional brand commercials in the sector that invariably present a cruise ship video tour”.

The commercial will air as 30-second and 15-second spots on traditional and online broadcast channels, supported by an integrated print, outdoor, digital and social media campaign, with an extended minute-long ‘mini-film’ version of the epic being released at a later date.