Why Virgin Voyages is creating a reality murder mystery show

Virgin Voyages is looking to make a mark in the branded TV game with a stand-alone reality competition series inspired by HBO’s “The White Lotus.” The effort will combine commerce and entertainment in a play to shift brand perception, according to executives. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today The show, “Mystery Voyage,” will see contestants compete to solve a murder mystery on board an active cruise ship. Virgin enlisted the creative agency SuperBloom House to create the series, set to film next summer and air alongside the debut of the cruise line’s new ship Brilliant Lady. SuperBloom House will serve as Virgin Voyages’ first exclusive entertainment partner moving forward. It conceptualized “Mystery Voyage” alongside Purveyors of Pop, producers of “Real Housewives of Miami.” The series hopes to have a distribution deal within the next few weeks and is eyeing Amazon Prime Video, NBC and Disney as potential partners due to their commerce capabilities, according to Briony McCarthy, CEO, SuperBloom House. The show was inspired by “the ‘White Lotus’ effect,” or the desire to research or book travel based on the gorgeous locales seen in a TV show, according to Billy Bohan Chinique, senior director of global brand marketing, Virgin Voyages. The cast will consist of “favorite reality stars, podcasters, drama queens, nostalgic ‘90s TV icons,” who may become involved in Virgin Voyages’ marketing efforts outside of the show, said Briony McCarthy, CEO, SuperBloom House. It will also feature Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group. Many brands, from The Home Depot to NerdWallet, have recently increased their focus on branded content to capture attention in consumers’ increasingly fragmented and ad-filled media diets, often turning to branded segments in a larger show, sponsored behind-the-scenes content or co-branded spots. Virgin, though, is creating an entire stand-alone season of TV to play “the long game,” said McCarthy. “In advertising and in marketing, we look at the short return on investment,” said McCarthy. “What entertainment can do that advertising can’t do is shift and change perception in an entirely different way.” Cruises have a marketing problem in general, said Bohan Chinique. Virgin is seeking to appeal to new, younger consumers who may think that cruises are just for older people or gorging on buffet-style food. As a result, Bohan Chinique also described a renewed competitiveness in cruise marketing. Also read: Inside the TikTok cruise’s brand-creator partnership “Mystery Voyage” is an attempt to expand on what has already worked in Virgin’s marketing—influencer partnerships. In the same way brand ambassadors might make content on board, the series will involve contestants making use of the ship and its destinations as part of the competition, which McCarthy described as “‘Clue’ meets ‘Amazing Race’ meets ‘Traitors,’” in place of repeated brand messaging. Commerce will also be a priority for the show, inspired by a previous collaboration between Virgin Voyages and Amazon. Earlier this year, the retail giant hosted a livestream from a Virgin Voyages ship in which consumers could shop for clothing and gear worn by the hosts and book a cruise via Amazon. Bohan Chinique also hopes to make “Mystery Voyage” shoppable in its final form, dependent on its distributor. “Mystery Voyage” will pitch potential streaming partners over the next six weeks. While Amazon Prime Video is of interest for its built-in commerce capabilities, McCarthy said the partners are also eyeing Disney’s ABC and Hulu, as well as NBCUniversal’s NBC and Peacock, all of which have been building their TV commerce capabilities. And between ABC’s “Doctor Odyssey” and Peacock’s “The Traitors,” both also have pre-existing content that would match “Mystery Voyage.” As media companies grapple with the uncertain future of linear TV and volatile streaming businesses, many are trying to pull back on the hefty content spending that launched platforms with multi-million dollar series and straight-to-streaming films. Branded content offers a potentially appealing alternative for monetizing streaming distribution, according to McCarthy. “The networks and streamers are not buying as much content as they once were,” said McCarthy, saying that the partners intend to use that slow-down to their advantage in pitching “Mystery Voyage.” “More and more, [networks and streamers] are opening up spots [in content slates] to be for branded entertainment, and that's really the first time that's happened at this level.” According to McCarthy, this will be an enticing business model for streamers as brands such as Virgin Voyages can offer production value such as filming locations as well as co-marketing across its network of ships and hotels globally. The show’s planning and early production have been in the works for four to five months, according to the partners, who hope to strike a distribution deal in the coming weeks to release it to consumers in next year’s third quarter alongside the launch of Virgin Voyages’ Brilliant Lady cruise ship.

Why Virgin Voyages is creating a reality murder mystery show

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