Bob Dickinson spent 35 years with Carnival Cruise Lines, retiring in 2007 as president and CEO. He oversaw most of the marketing and distribution initiatives at Carnival, keeping the brand message squarely focused on fun. After retiring, Dickinson remained on the board of directors until April. He spoke with Cruise Editor Tom Stieghorst about his new role as a consultant to Carnival Corp.
Q: How did this assignment come about?
A: I was asked to stand down from re-election to the board this April. And that's because under London Stock Exchange rules I would never be considered an independent director. Seeing that coming, I started conversations with Howard [Frank, Carnival Corp. vice chairman] sometime this spring, basically saying "I'm a free agent come April, I want to stay in the business. I was there almost from the beginning in 1972, let's explore some opportunities." And he came up with this, which is certainly very near and dear to my heart.
Without a doubt the largest success Carnival has had, certainly in the 36 years that I was there, has to be due to the agent community and the tremendous support we've had from travel agents all over.
Q: What will you be doing for Carnival?
A: I'm going to look at the North American brands and basically conduct research as to the brand deficiencies, opportunities and strengths. Obviously I'll do some research on what our friendly competitors are doing well or not doing well. Then we want to develop a gap analysis to see where we can get best practices among the brands, where some brands may have opportunities for improvement and then develop strategies to enhance relations with travel agents. We want to have as robust as possible relations with agents among the various brands.
Q: How does that translate into actions?
A: Once we've developed those strategies, the tricky part is to develop buy-in from the appropriate operating companies, and that would include the chief marketing officer and the CEOs. And then, assist where possible in executing the strategies and programs we would be recommending.
Q: Why is the buy-in the tricky part?
A: Before I worked for Carnival I was on the finance staff at Ford Motor Co. and corporate planning office of RCA Corp. in New York when it was a very robust conglomerate. Those are classic staff positions. If you think back to your Renaissance movies, where there's a baron and his fiefdom, there's always a guy whispering in his ear what to do. That's the staff guy. But the baron is the line guy, and he can ignore the guy whispering in his ear or listen to his counsel. It's up to me to build a compelling enough case to make it irresistible to the line management.
Q: What is the marketing part of your new role?
A: Marketing and distribution are inextricably intertwined. Our distribution system, the retail travel agent side of that distribution system, depends on the brand being strong and being marketed adroitly and effectively. So, just to show you in hyperbole, if one of the brands decided to rename themselves the Black Hole of Calcutta and did that branding image, it probably wouldn't be good for the agent community, would it? Similarly, if a brand has done very well in terms of brand execution and guest loyalty and is delivering an excellent product, they're making the job of the travel agent easier. If a brand is spending money effectively in the various media channels to drive people to call their travel agent or walk into a travel agency, they're making it easier for the agent. If a brand has incentives for commission overrides for additional sales, that makes it easier for the agent.
Q: Do you still see "fun" as the core quality that a Carnival brand cruise is trying to embody?
A: When we created the Fun Ship, it was a universal truth. The one thing most people want on a vacation is fun, [though] you and I may define it differently, our children may define it differently, our parents may define it differently. My wife Jodi and I were on the Carnival Breeze last summer, and they delivered a very, very fun vacation. That to me is the core.
Q: What do you make of the poll by Harris Interactive showing declines in public perceptions of quality and trust at seven cruise lines?
A: I've just seen the top line of it. I think it speaks to opportunities. And you know me, I relish opportunity.
Q: So the opportunity would be to improve perceptions?
A: Of course. And we're not just looking at agent perceptions, we're looking at consumer perceptions. And we're looking at them for all the brands, not just our North American brands but the competitive landscape. So if one of our brands has done better against its competitive peer set, we're going to celebrate that. And similarly, if one has deteriorated its position, we're going to understand why and come up with steps to remediate it.
Q: Are you going to be attending industry events for Carnival?
A: I may. It's not my plan at this point, but it may be an opportunity just having the convenience of talking to a number of people who happen to be there. More or less from logistics.
Q: What have you heard from travel agents about what should be done?
A: Basically, I haven't heard from travel agents so much what needs to be done, it's more a heartwarming welcome back, "You go Bob," those kinds of things. It's been more attaboys than anything else. But very gratifying.
Follow Tom Stieghorst on Twitter @tstravelweekly.