Fred. Olsen cruise lines: a case study in researching older consumers

As the name suggests, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is a Norwegian company owned and run by the Olsen family. Indeed, Fred. Olsen junior runs the company. It has a century and a half experience of cruising. Its current fleet is modern with all the amenities expected of a cruise ship in the 21st century. In the context of the home market, they operate small ships. The market for cruising is growing rapidly, reflecting the growth in the 50 plus population, and Fred. Olsen, like its competitors, is adding to its capacity in line with the market. Cruising still has a strong appeal to the older traveler. They have the time and the money to spend on this kind of holiday. But competitive brands like P&O, Royal Caribbean and EasyCruises have built ships that carry up to 4,000 passengers with every type of entertainment on board to attract new passengers such as families and young singles.

When Fred. Olsen approached millennium, where I was working as a research consultant, marketing were having to attract many more passengers. They had very clear objectives of what they wanted from their research. Firstly, they needed research to provide them with direction for the development of the brand and separately the product by thoroughly understanding the needs of current and potential customers. Secondly, to gain an understanding of what their typical customer at the time aged on average 66. What would they looked like in 5-10 years time? Would their needs be the same? And how would customers currently in their 50s, how would their needs develop? Thirdly, they wanted to understand how customers and potential customers approach booking cruises and other holidays. This was so that the marketing communications strategy could be focused more effectively to attract customers to Fred. Olsen. Clearly, very far-reaching objectives requiring a substantial research program.