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Penelope Cruz becomes a mermaid for new Costa campaign

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The advertisement conveys a cruise is so magical that even a mermaid is enchanted enough to go on board
Costa Cruises' new international advertising campaign features Spanish actress Penelope Cruz as a mermaid bewitched by the sound of a Costa ship. She goes aboard through a 'magic passage' and experiences the excitement and 'happiness squared' (a reference to the company's tagline).

A 'magical' holiday

Cruz 'embodies perfectly the spirit and beauty of a Mediterranean holiday on board our ships,' said Costa's Luca Casaura, SVP global & strategic marketing. 'She is cheerful and genuine, and is also known for her great professionalism. In fact, the aim of this advertising campaign is to communicate that a cruise is a "magical" holiday, the only one that allows people to discover the world from the unique perspective of the sea, so much so that even a mermaid is enchanted enough to go aboard.'

To air in Italy, France, Spain

Available in 60-second, 30-second, 20-second and 15-second spots, the ad will appear in Italy, France and Spain, as well as on the web, in digital advertising and direct marketing in all the main countries where Costa operates. The commercial will be supported by a social media campaign and promoted by point of sale materials in Costa's main partner travel agencies.

In Italy, the full version will air for the first time on Dec. 2 at 9 p.m. on all the Mediaset networks, preceded by a teaser which is already running.

To the tune of one of Italy's favorite songs

The advertisement, directed by Jaume de Laiguana and produced with Young & Rubicam Spain as the creative agency, features the original 1963 version of 'Sapore di Sale' by Gino Paoli. This is one of Italy's best loved songs of all time. Paoli was a member of the 'Genoese School' that revolutionized Italian music starting in the 1960s.

In the addition to the music, Genoa, where Costa has been based for 70 years, will be featured in the advertising campaign via the 'Genova nel Cuore' ('Genoa in our heart') logo, which will appear at the end of the ad in Italy, France and Spain.

Support for Genoa

'This is another way of supporting our city through these difficult months. It is part of a series of initiatives that Costa is taking to support Genoa, which will soon result in further great new developments in the coming months,' Casaura said.

A short preview of the ad is here.