Carnival
Corp.’s first-ever Super Bowl advertisement featured a voice-over by President
John F. Kennedy sermonizing about our universal connection to the sea.
Lyrical
video of cruise ships against a sun-lit sea were paired with a 1962 speech
Kennedy made before an America’s Cup yachting race. “When we go back to the
sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it, we are going back to whence we
came,” Kennedy intones.
The end of
the 60-second spot featured an twilight armada of cruise ships on the horizon,
arrayed beneath the multiple Carnival Corp. brands.
The ad
aired during the second quarter of Sunday’s game, and was meant to help break
down myths about cruising, according to Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald.
"We worked with true passion to bring this
creative concept to life with reverence and elegance to strike a chord with
consumers, and we are proud to share it on the world’s biggest
stage,” Donald said.
It was one of
four ads produced by BBDO Atlanta and offered for consumer voting as part of a
marketing challenge on WorldsLeadingCruiseLines.com. However, “Return
to the Sea” was not previewed at length, and was billed as a “Mystery Spot.”
In an
instant poll of 7,000 volunteer ad watchers conducted by USA Today, “Return to
the Sea” was ranked 44th of 61 Super Bowl ads, just ahead of a Disney
commercial for its upcoming Tomorrowland movie. The Carnival ad ranked
best among panelists from landlocked states such as Montana, North Dakota and
New Mexico and with the 65-plus demographic.
Ad Age
critic Ken Wheaton gave the Carnival ad two stars out of four (average Super
Bowl advertising; nothing to be ashamed of), and said it was one of several
that exhibited “Chrysleritis,” a reference to a Chrysler’s “God Made a Farmer”
ad from last year’s game.
Unlike the
Paul Harvey narration from that ad, Wheaton said Kennedy's delivery of his
speech was “somewhat rambling” and “odd.”
“Old people
— sorry Boomers — love JFK so maybe this will make the phones ring off the hook
for Carnival,” Wheaton concluded.