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New Celebrity campaign says 'reject fear,' ties in with presidential debate

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'Sail Beyond Borders' - enticing images of nature and cityscapes that blend into each other
At a time when people are being scared off international travel, Celebrity Cruises is unleashing a bold new commercial for tonight's US presidential debate that urges viewers to reject the fear and open themselves to the world.

'Sail Beyond Borders' presents lush, enticing images of nature and cityscapes that blend into each other, from snow-dusted mountains to waterfalls and beaches, the Eiffel Tower to the London Eye and Sydney Opera House.

As the beautiful images unfold, a voiceover states: 'Far from the talk of building walls, far from the threats of keeping people out, far from the rhetoric of fear is a world of differences. Differences that expand and enrich us. Because, after all, our lives aren't made better when we close ourselves off to the world. They're made better when we open ourselves up to it.'

There's no ship—just a wake, with the printed tagline 'Sail Beyond Borders,' followed by the spoken and printed words 'Celebrity Cruises.'

It's a far cry from Celebrity's 'Answer the call of Modern Luxury' wave-season campaign, also by Venables Bell & Partners, that used the 'Marco ... Polo' call and response, and featured a Celebrity captain and crew.

The new ad has been long in the making, Celebrity president and ceo Lisa Lutoff-Perlo told Seatrade Cruise News. She wanted to air it much sooner but was advised by chief marketing officer Peter Giorgi to wait for a shared cultural moment when the message would resonate.

What better than Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's face-off?

Since this first presidential debate is forecast to have a colossal audience— perhaps 100m—some advertisers are introducing debate-themed commercials, according to The New York Times, the kind of tie-in marketing usually reserved for events like the Super Bowl. The debate is commercial-free but broadcasters will air ads before and after.

Lutoff-Perlo doesn't see Celebrity's ad as politically slanted, even though one of the candidate's platforms is building a wall to keep out Mexicans. 'Regardless of what side of the aisle they're on, there are a ton of people on the right as well as the left who reject building walls and keeping people out,' Lutoff-Perlo said.

'Sail Beyond Borders' has emerged from a great deal of personal insight and reflection on the Celebrity chief's part. She has played a key role in leading and shaping it.

Lutoff-Perlo spent months thinking about Celebrity's purpose—taking people around the world to experience other cultures. She was inspired by visiting the fallen Berlin Wall while hosting a President's Cruise this year and by the crew, who hail from more than 50 nations.

'History would suggest they shouldn't get along yet they take care of each other and our guests,' Lutoff-Perlo said.

This, against the backdrop of 'bad people threatening what we do'—trying to keep people afraid and apart.

'I live in a country where we talk about building walls and keeping people out ... It's time for Celebrity to unapologetically state our purpose: People need to travel. It expands and enriches us all.'

She added: 'Any really successful brand is aligned with a purpose.'

'Sail Beyond Borders' doesn't replace 'Modern Luxury,' which still describes what Celebrity is, Lutoff-Perlo said. The new campaign 'invites people to go on the journey. It's more about who we are versus what we do.'

The first ad, 'Far Away,' is a 30-second anthemic video for the campaign. It will run on ABC and CNN tonight and Tuesday, and the night of the second debate (Oct. 9) and Oct. 10. Full-page, color print ads will appear Tuesday in five newspapers (The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times and San Francisco Chronicle), and Architectural Digest magazine will have a placement in the issue that goes on sale in early November. The campaign is going to run in the UK and Australia, as well.

The ad will be in high-profile places online, too, and Celebrity will have a campaign landing page that features five crew members—initially, from Ukraine, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey and the US—talking about how their lives have been enriched by travel.

'It's really powerful, very meaningful and very personal,' Lutoff-Perlo said.