A Mermaid Romances an Astronaut In This Offbeat Cruise Line Ad

Dream Cruises, a new luxury line from Asia, debuts in November. There are a lot of cruise companies suddenly targeting China's travelers, and this company is trying to stand out with a poetic, out-there spot showing an astronaut falling for a mermaid with sea-green hair.

Leo Burnett China was inspired by Chinese pop artist Jacky Tsai, whose artwork covers the hull of the inaugural cruise ship. The mermaid and astronaut also turn up in a smaller version of Mr. Tsai's artwork that's on board. That's visible near the end of the 70-second spot, after the otherworldly lovers bow out (and the ad abruptly starts selling the ship).

The agency sees the love story is a "metaphor for the cruise line's promise to 'bring dreams to life." Shorter versions of the video were released last month and had 550,000 online views in a week. On social media, the brand asked people to write an ending to the lovers' story for a chance to win trips.