Azamara Club Cruises’ biggest challenge is brand awareness, says Larry Pimentel, President and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises.
Indeed, as Avid Cruiser reader Lynda Wilson wrote this week:
I returned yesterday (23 Oct) from a cruise on the Azamara Quest. This was my first cruise and I thought they did a fantastic job. The Captain sets a great example which permeates down through all the staff and the whole ship seems relaxed but incredibly efficient. Everyone seems to care very much about what they’re doing and in making the cruise as successful as possible for passengers. I would forgive them much for this attitude alone and I am sure you will come to appreciate this view during your week aboard.
My concern is that I had never heard of Azamara Club Cruises in the UK and I think that they are missing a trick here. Although not a cruise expert, I am familiar with the travel industry and many of the cruise lines, hence being concerned that Azamara’s marketing is all but invisible in the UK press. I understand that passengers from the UK are growing (62 on last week’s cruise) but I think if more people knew about Azamara that number would rise significantly, especially since the Quest gets very positive reviews from those who have cruised with her.
On last week’s cruise we were lucky enough to have a presentation by Bill Wright who I am sure you know. I didn’t get an opportunity to raise this issue with him so thought I would pass it to you in the hope that you can mention it yourself to Larry Pimentel. I wouldn’t normally bother writing like this but I thought everyone on the Quest did a fantastic job and it seems that their success could be increased by tapping into the UK market and raising its profile.
Pimentel, who relaunched the brand this past April, says he expects brand awareness to improve, particularly because of positive guest word-of-mouth resulting from changes on Azamara. “I don’t think we’re going to be a secret for much longer,” Pimentel says.
Possible implications of improved brand awareness: higher pricing. What I wrote in 2008 still stands true – for the moment: Why You Should Cruise Azamara Now
See yesterday’s video interview with Pimentel: Interview With Larry Pimentel: How Azamara Became Azamara ‘Club’ Cruises
