Today we focus on our Tech Talks podcast, developed in collaboration with Seatrade Cruise. The third episode is out now and features a conversation between theICEway’s Ian Richardson and the popular UK cruise blogger behind Emma Cruises. Here we summarise their conversation, which dives into cruise vlogging and the power of YouTube in reaching future cruise guests.
Tech Talks #1: Minimising food waste at sea, with Iain Milnes.
Tech Talks #2: The Innovation Tech Zone, with David Tibbles.
AKA, ‘Emma Cruises’, Le Teace has a YouTube channel with 238,000 subscribers and her videos have generated over 50 million views. She launched the channel in 2016 along with an Emma Cruises website and has never looked back. Her award-winning content features cruise tips and insights and she has been interviewed for television and radio and been featured in newspapers and on travel websites.
In this episode, she and Richardson discuss how cruise lines can use platforms such as YouTube to connect with future guests. The pair cover how innovations in on board technology have changed since Emma first started cruising at the age of 11. They also go through some of her favourite uses of technology on ships – read on for some highlights or use the link below to hear the episode in full.
Listen to Tech Talks episode 3: Inside the life of a cruise vlogger.
Ian Richardson (IR): “Why do you think YouTube resonates so well with audiences?”
Emma Cruises (EC): “I think cruising is a big risk if you are someone who has never taken a cruise… It’s very hard to ‘try-before-you-buy’ a cruise… most people have never stood next to a cruise ship, you have no idea of the… scale… so what I try and do on YouTube is create content that anyone can watch… and then they know what to expect.”
IR: “Which media channels are you seeing the most growth in?”
EC: “… I’m on TikTok and Instagram and Facebook and [they are] very different audience[s]. Some things do very well on… TikTok but it tends to be things like… interesting facts… rather than more practical tips… I think the audience on TikTok is a lot younger than it is on YouTube and Facebook.”
IR: “What are some of the most common questions that you receive from your audience?”
EC: “I think people have no idea what a cruise includes because it is so confusing… Some people think they will go on the cruise… and never pay for anything else again… and some people don’t realise they can go and see the shows, they can eat in the buffet… a lot of it is around what is included.”
IR: “I’ve witnessed a huge amount of change from a technology perspective on board cruise ships… What key changes have you noticed?”
EC: “… I really like scanning QR codes for menus… the use of daily schedules in apps instead of on paper… I [also] went on a virtual reality rollercoaster!”
IR: “Do you think that cruise lines are actually leveraging YouTube and other channels in the right way to reach their guests?”
EC: “I think some of them are doing a much better job than others… A lot of them just put their adverts on YouTube… [and] no one is really going to go to YouTube just to watch a TV advert. So they’re not really adding anything. But I think that’s because a lot of cruise lines… feel like they have to have a presence.”
Cruise vlogging has proven to be a very useful tool in cruise marketing efforts, although not necessarily for cruise lines – yet. From a tech perspective, vlogs can be launched using a basic smartphone. The real challenge is in creating and maintaining consistency, something Emma Le Teace has managed for 7 years. Moving forwards, the authenticity generated via User Generated Content (UGC) on video-based platforms is sure to encourage more cruisers.