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Viking River Cruises

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Marketing of the leisure travel business was especially hard hit by the disruption caused by the growth of the new media industry. Traditionally depended on weekly newspaper supplements and travel agents to reach the consumer, the business had to rethink how it marketed its products. Adapting these challenges, Viking River Cruises, invented its segment and successfully grew from a small niche player to the leader in river cruising.

I wanted to propose a freelance article exploring the success of Viking River Cruises' market and sponsorships that helped the company to gain market-leading brand recognition. Viking, which was launched twenty years ago, started with two executives, two cell phones, and four secondhand Russian riverboats. The …show more content…

They are producing nearly $2 billion in annual revenues and operate a fleet of more than 60 riverboats, yet product adoption remains low creating more growth opportunities.

Further, Viking is using this brand awareness to launch a new portion of their business, ocean cruising, building a fleet of at least eight ocean cruise ships. Viking is leveraging the strength of its consumer base, following a trend in other segments of the luxury travel business such as Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, to expand its business. Viking has become the first to offer both luxury ocean and river cruising.

I believe the success of Viking's marketing programs will make an interesting case study for your publication and I would welcome the opportunity to work with you to develop the story. My background is that I am a maritime expert working as a consultant, historian, author and lecturer in the cruise business and also had a professional career in public relations and corporate communications. My articles on the cruise industry appear in publications including Cruise Travel magazine, Cruise Business Review, Seatrade and Maritime Executive.

I appreciate your consideration and look forward to discussing this story concept with

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