Hurtigruten Group is using its difficult-to-pronounce name to its brand's advantage.
The Norwegian cruise company has launched a $2 million marketing campaign in Denver and Minneapolis to teach Americans how to say its name like a Norwegian. The word translates to "the fast route" and was used to name the line when it launched as a ferry service in 1893.
This is the largest single campaign from Hurtigruten in the U.S. The ads will target the Denver area to attract potential cruisers to its Hurtigruten Expeditions brand, particularly travelers who enjoy the outdoors, exploration and discovery. The brand sails to the Galapagos, Antarctica and the western coast of Africa, among other destinations.
In Minneapolis and St. Paul, the brand hopes to connect people of Norwegian ancestry to the Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express product. True to its name, the brand sails the coast of Norway and is part expedition cruise, part local ferry and part cargo transport.
Digital, radio, broadcast and billboard ad spots will run for two months.