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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Carnival Australia represents several cruise brands within the Australian and New Zealand markets, including Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises Australia, P&O Cruises World Cruising, Princess Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line. Carnival Australia is known for its family friendly brands and has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in its services, which has been recognised with many awards across numerous categories for its brands. In the prestigious 2017 Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards for Australian cruising, Carnival Australia’s brand lines claimed nine awards. Carnival Australia forefronts the record leading development of the Australian and New Zealand tourism industry and has made cruising one of the fastest expanding sectors and brands, which places them amongst the top cruise markets in the world.

In September 2002, the tragic death of Mrs Dianne Brimble had a profound impact on the Australian cruise industry and led to the complete transformation of Carnival Australia's business. The recent brawl incidents have had serious consequences for Carnival Australia, launching a firestorm of social media and mainstream media attention. The first of these incidents occurred on 11 February 2018; a P&O cruise ship was forced to return to Sydney after an out-of-control brawl broke out on board involving passengers. Followed by the second brawl incident on the 16 February 2018, leading to as many as 30 injured people on a Carnival Legend cruise. As passengers uploaded photos of the incidents, social media exploded with news about the situation, specifically trending with the hashtag: #cruisefromhell. In reaction to the events, Carnival Australia wanted to assure potential passengers that the cruise line stayed true to their family friendly reputation and also to ensure violent events do not reoccur.

Communicating about passenger safety on board has been a long-standing focus of Carnival Australia’s cruise ships. This communications strategy sets out the goals and plans designed to guide Carnival Australia to communicate effectively with internal and external audiences and increase their understanding and awareness, and meet core organisational objectives in addressing issues of passenger safety. A situation analysis was conducted at the initial stages of the process to identify areas of improvement before developing this communications strategy. This communication strategy also identifies key messages together with some specific tactic deliverables and communication channels. In doing so, this will help Carnival to maintain their reputation by helping to reassure regulators and potential passengers that they are addressing issues of passenger safety.

The safety and security of Carnival Australia’s guests and crew is paramount. To uphold this priority, Carnival Australia is imposing a zero tolerance policy to any form of violence or crime on board. This also applies to restricting passengers’ alcohol consumption on board in order to mitigate risks associated with alcohol fuelled violence. Regular reviews and measures against the effectiveness of this communication strategy will validate that messages are received and understood by the key stakeholders. Therefore, to help with the review process this document ends with an overview of roles, responsibilities, and methods for evaluating this strategy. Forecast costs of this exercise are summarised in a budget at the end of this strategy.

SWOT ANALYSISThe following SWOT analysis captures the key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Carnival Australia in terms of its communications activity. The result of the SWOT analysis will then help to indicate areas that require further development so that they can be addressed when developing the communications strategy.

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Strength : Strong online presence

Platform Followers

Facebook 322,347

Twitter 2,735

Instagram 60,200

As seen above, Carnival Australia has a strong following across their social media platforms. They also actively interact with their followers on a daily basis by re-tweeting and sharing articles. Many experts believe that social media gives an organisation one of the easiest and most cost effective channels through which to distribute content and reach the right audience1. Therefore, having a strong online presence can be seen as strength of Carnival Australia as it can be a crucial component for creating a communication and marketing strategy.

Weakness: Lack of communication management in times of crisis

The recent brawl incidents have negatively impacted Carnival Australia’s family friendly reputation. After the incident, Carnival Australia only released a formal statement about the incident. There were no media releases, social media posts or press conferences following the incident. Many experts argue that companies who underestimate the importance of effective communication during crisis situations often suffer significant reputation damage to their brand2. Therefore, the lack of communication management in times of crisis can be seen as Carnival Australia’s weakness because if the strategy were adopted when needed, it could help maintain the company’s image and avoid irreversible damage.

Opportunity: Carnival’s new app

Carnival Cruise Line launched its new mobile app, Onboard Carnival Breeze. The app includes a chat feature that allows passengers to exchange messages with other passengers using their mobile devices. Carnival also introduced a social media-centric internet package on three cruise ships, giving passengers access to their favourite social websites for a minimal cost3. The development and trial of the new app gives Carnival Australia the opportunity to enhance its customer engagement and provide a competitive edge, helping to build more of a personal relationship with their customers.

Threat: Bad Publicity

When bad publicity emerges, regaining trust can be difficult and time-consuming. After the brawl incident, both media and public questioning ensued over the safety of Carnival Australia’s cruise ship experience. Many experts believe that bad publicity can contribute to negative brand association, which can in turn reduce sales over time4. Moreover, others argue that when organisations face bad publicity, it can take a great deal of time and cost to repair as the company might choose to invest in additional advertising and marketing campaigns in response to the negative publicity. Therefore, Carnival Australia’s bad publicity in the media is a threat because it can jeopardise the brand and reputation.

1 Bryson, J. M. (2018). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. John Wiley & Sons.2 Muller, E., & Peres, R. (2018). The Effect of Social Networks Structure on Innovation Performance: A review and directions for research.3 Snow, S., & Lazauskas, J. (2018). The Storytelling Edge: How to Transform Your Business, Stop Screaming into the Void, and Make People Love You. John Wiley & Sons.4 Berger, J., Sorensen, A. T., & Rasmussen, S. J. (2010). Positive effects of negative publicity: When negative reviews increase sales. Marketing Science, 29(5), 815-827.

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PEST ANALYSISThe following PEST analysis is used to analyse Carnival Australia’s macro-environmental factors to help better understand how the company operates. The results will contribute to developing the communications strategy.

POLITICAL FACTORS

Carnival Australia continually engages in discussions at local and federal government levels on issues that matter for their guests. The cruise industry in Australia has undergone a complete transformation, led by Carnival Corporation following the tragic death of Mrs Dianne Brimble on board a P&O Cruise ship in 20025. In 2017, Carnival Australia welcomed the opportunity to contribute to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs’ Inquiry into the Arrangements Surrounding Crimes at Sea6. This political factor shows that Carnival is continuously working to earn the trust and confidence of the Australian community and is keen to actively demonstrate this to the Committee.

ECONOMIC FACTORS

The Deloitte Access Economics (2015) reported that Carnival Corporation & plc has been the standout success of the Australian tourism sector; making a contribution of $828.1 million to the national economy in 2010-2011. This is a 44% increase from its $576.6 million contribution in 2007- 20087. The growth then continued in 2016 – 2017 with the company reaching a record contribution to the national economy of up to $5.3 billion. This economic factor shows that Carnival Australia has made a significant contribution to the Australian tourism economy therefore it is essential to safeguard its brand and to maintain its reputation.

SOCIAL FACTORS

Carnival's main focus is to attract all types of customers from different demographics and cultures. Moreover, its low budget cruises particularly attract families and younger people. Its cruise ships are also famous for bucks or hens wedding groups, and couples honeymooning. In 2017, Carnival Australia catered for more than 70% of the Australian and New Zealand cruise passenger market8. The social factors show that Carnival caters to the desires of a wide range of demographic and groups, therefore, it is important to continually reassure customers/potential customers that safety is taken seriously in order to maintain its reputation.

TECHNOLOGY FACTORS

Carnival Australia cruise lines are constantly investing in technology to make their ships more customer friendly and easier to operate. From 2015- 2016 Carnival spent nearly $793 million for ship improvements and leading-edge guest experience technology, enabling high-touch, personalised travel experience, at scale. In early 2016, Carnival also introduced industry-leading shore side technology to monitor real-time navigational performance and energy use

5 Myers, R. (2007). Cruise industry regulation: what happens on vacation stays on vacation. Austl. & NZ Mar. LJ, 21, 106.6 Martin, S., & Mickler, T. A. (2018). Committee Assignments: Theories, Causes and Consequences. Parliamentary Affairs.7 Klein, R. A. (2018). Dreams and Realities: A Critical Look at the Cruise Ship Industry. Tourists and Tourism: A Reader, 247.8 Carnival Corporation & plc. (2017). Annual Report. Retrieved from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-reportsannual

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across their fleet9. The technology factor shows that Carnival Australia’s continued investment in technology gives their cruise ships a competitive edge.

TARGET AUDIANCEEngaging the appropriate target audience will ensure that the main goal and objectives of the communication strategy can be met. The target audience includes the following segments in priority order:

Understanding relevant stakeholders involved in Carnival Australia’s violent brawl incident is crucial to a successful communication strategy. Each of the target audience has been chosen because they have particular perceptions and needs that need to be addressed. These stakeholders will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure they remain relevant.

Victims and their families

Victims and their families need to be immediately provided with explanations and information after incidents. Further, research has shown that it is vital for an organisation to provide support and care to help victims and their families cope with the emotional or psychological impact from incidents10. For example, Carnival should provide compensation, care response and trauma counselling to help the cruise passengers and their families that were hurt or inconvenienced in some way from the violent brawl incident.

9 Carnival Corporation & plc. (2016). Annual Report. Retrieved from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-reportsannua l 10 McCann, I. L., & Pearlman, L. A. (1990). Vicarious traumatization: A framework for understanding the psychological effects of working with victims. Journal of traumatic stress, 3(1), 131-149.

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Necessary

Important

Critical

External audience: these include the media gatekeepers (editors, executives, and program directors), Bloggers and Journalists.

External audience: these include Carnival’s current and future passengers, online communities as well as victims and families from the violent brawl incident.

Internal audience: these include Carnival’s parent company, shareholders, and employees.

Important to help with the spread of the message across wider audiences

Critical to build their understanding and awareness around issues of passenger safety and respectful behaviour on a cruise ship

Necessary foundation to keep the team on track and establish a consistent message

Online communities

Scholarly and case study research has proven that the organisation’s online customers today are intrusive and want to know what is happening and be involved in an organisation’s crisis11. Research from Freshfields’s commissioned study shows that nearly a quarter (28%) of crises reported spread internationally through social media within an hour, and over two thirds (69%) within 24 hours12. This shows that online customers are another critical key audience that Carnival needs to maintain regular two-way communication with to control damage to its brand’s reputation after incidents.

For example, after the brawl incident is no longer the focal point, Carnival can strategically take advantage of the fact that many people are still watching its social media pages and the company could start to shift the conversation away from the crisis. In doing so, this can help to maintain and stay engaged with loyal customers by building awareness around Carnival’s alcohol consumption restrictions and zero tolerance policy towards excessive negative behaviour.

Current and future passengers, with no access to internet

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) extrapolated that nearly 16% of Australian’s have no access to the internet. The majority of those with no internet access at home are likely to be living in remote areas or aged 50 and over13. Many experts argue that neglecting offline audiences can lead to an oversight of people who may not spend much time on the internet and therefore reduce the effectiveness of offline customer engagement14. Therefore, by staying connected with the offline audience, it can help to promote the understanding and awareness around Carnival’s alcohol consumption restriction and zero tolerance policy towards excessive negative behaviour.

Media gatekeepers (editors, executives, and program directors), Bloggers and Journalists

Media is another important target audience in this communication strategy. Co-operation with the media is considered vital because the media provides information to the public. In doing so, media gatekeepers will be valuable partners in helping to spread the message and increase public knowledge, understanding and support around Carnival’s alcohol consumption restriction and zero tolerance policy towards excessive negative behaviour.

Carnival’s employees including the cruise ship’s officers, captain and crew

Carnival’s employees are primary implementers of this communication strategy and Carnival’s frontline ambassadors. They should be kept updated around the alcohol consumption restriction and zero tolerance policy towards excessive negative behaviour to ensure their support of the policy and so that they can provide consistent communications with customers and other key stakeholders.

Carnival’s Corporation parent company and shareholders

The parent company and shareholders should be fully informed about this communication strategy to help in the decision making process and facilitate effective monitoring.

11 Hays, S., Page, S. J., & Buhalis, D. (2013). Social media as a destination marketing tool: its use by national tourism organisations. Current issues in Tourism, 16(3), 211-239.12 Sandberg, J. (2011). Socially responsible investment and fiduciary duty: Putting the freshfields report into perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 101(1), 143-162.13 Willis, S., & Tranter, B. (2006). Beyond the ‘digital divide’ Internet diffusion and inequality in Australia. Journal of sociology, 42(1), 43-59.14 Austin, L., Fisher Liu, B., & Jin, Y. (2012). How audiences seek out crisis information: Exploring the social-mediated crisis communication model. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 40(2), 188-207.

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KEY MESSAGES In summary, Carnival’s key messages should underpin its corporate strategic narrative and promote its identity whilst addressing common information gaps and misperceptions. It is critical that Carnival share the key messages in a consistent and accurate manner within their communication team. The key messages include:

1. To provide compensation and support counselling to guests, family and friends of people affected by incidents such as the violent brawl incident.

2. To ensure that guests embarking today and into the future are aware that Carnival is doing everything it can to ensure that violent incidents do not recur.

3. To inform the public that the safety and security of Carnival Australia’s guests and crew is the company’s highest priority.

4. To build understanding and awareness around Carnival Australia’s ‘zero tolerance approach’ to any excessive behaviour that affects the enjoyment of other passengers.

5. To address Carnival’s strict policies and procedures ensuring responsible service (and consumption) of alcohol on board in order to mitigate the risk of alcohol fuelled violence.

Carnival’s communication team will review and evaluate these key messages regularly to ensure that they remain relevant and appropriate to the goals and objectives of this communications strategy.

Timeline Objective 1 30th AprilAM: Immediately inform CEO via phone call.AM: Write a speech for CEO, email speech and get CEO to practice. AM: Hold meeting to discuss approach.PM: Prepare and Release a press release addressing concerns, apologising and what actions are being taken. PM: Talk to press.In the meantime, organise a press conference to be held on Wednesday 2nd May.

2nd MayBrief in person the CEO prior to press conference to ensure they will know what to say and how to respond to journalist’s questions. Attend press release with CEO as spokesperson.

Objective 23rd-8thth MayDevelop a short survey about alcohol related behaviour and expectations of passengers while cruising with Carnival Australia. 8th MayDraft of survey submitted by COB.10th MayFinal survey submitted for print/publication.

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10th May- 10th JuneAllow 1 month of survey in action to allow for data collection. 10th May-1st June Work collaboratively with HR to train all cruise ship front of house staff about the dangers of negative alcohol behaviour and passengers. 10th-12th MayDevelop an internal brief to support behavioural expectations of alcohol related issues whilst cruising with carnival Australia.

14th May release internal brief to relevant staff.14th-25th MayCreate infographic about alcohol consumption and behaviour. This will be released on multiple platforms, website, social media, boarding pass, cabin manuals and alcohol menus. 28th MaySubmit infographic for draft to appropriate departments.4th – 8th June Submit approved infographic to printing.11th JuneRelease info graphic on platforms.Develop social media plan to post every month for the next 10 months regarding negative alcohol behaviours. 18th JuneFirst regular social media post.16th JulySecond social media post.20th August Third social media post. 27th-31st August Collaborate with HR to develop staff feedback survey since the infographic has been in action for almost 3 months.

10th -28th SeptemberRelease staff feedback forms for 3 weeks. 17th September Fourth social media post. 22nd October Fifth social media post.5th NovemberDevelop survey for passengers about alcohol behaviours and consumption. 9th NovemberSubmit survey draft for approval by COB.19th NovemberSixth social media post. 19th – 23rd NovemberPrepare survey for print/publication. 26th NovemberRelease survey to passengers for 1.5 months.17th December Seventh social media post.11th JanCollect data form passenger survey. 21st JanEighth social media post. 25th FebNinth social media post.

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25th MarchTenth social media post. 1st AprilCreate survey for post objective 1 targeting staff and passengers. 5th April Print/publish survey.29th April Begin evaluation. Objective 3 30th April- 4th MayDevelop communication plan for new alcohol policy. Develop an online survey for passengers and target publics.4th MayRelease survey.7th-11 MayPlan submitted for approval. Create internal brief for staff to be emailed and addressed in meetings.14th May Release internal brief to all staff via email.Have phone conference with relevant managers.14th- 18th MayDevelop and submit request for external provider(RFQ) for the safety video. 28tt May- 1st JuneWork with client and external provider to develop key message and outcome for safety video.28th May Close survey.4th June-2nd JulyVideo goes into production.6th JulyVideo is final.7th JulySafety video is released on all media platforms and played when boarding cruise ships. 31st July Second survey released.21st OctoberClose second survey. 22nd – 26th October Evaluation.

Timeline RationaleThe approach to action the strategy was to divide the objectives separately to ensure they were meeting the deadlines as stated. Objective one required it to be completed in one week because it requires a quick reaction to assist in crisis management. Research suggests successful crisis management is to react quickly, apologise for the issue, be prepared and be transparent15. Objective two had 12 months to make a measurable outcome and objective three had six months. Therefore, this timeline was structured based on the objectives statement. For example, objective three is to increase reputation by 30% within six months. After the crisis, a survey is released to collect data regarding reputation of Carnival Australia. A second survey is released post tactic (safety

15 Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate reputation review, 10(3), 163-176.

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video) to compare data to determine if reputation was increased by 30%. The timeframe follows the SMART acronym especially focusing on achievable and realistic as the objectives can be achieved within this time16.

The surveys are open over a minimum of one month to allow for large data collection and comparison of multiple cruises and their passengers. For example, data wouldn’t be accurate if the survey ran over the course of one week where only one cruise was operating. Therefore, a broad time allocation is in place to ensure the survey captures an accurate sample of passenger’s feedback.

This timeline acknowledges drafts and approval deadlines however, accuracy for processing these deadlines may not be accurate as internal information is unattainable in this instance.

The dates regarding this approach was done in live time rather than from when the crisis actually happened in February. Hence, for the purpose of the assignment the dates were created based on the crisis happening in late April 2018 to demonstrate quick action response.

Tools & Tactics Objective 1: Maintain / establish strong communication with the public to apologise, respond to the issues raised and offer support to anyone who was affected by these situations, in one week.

Communication Pathways

Target Publics Tools Details

Controlled media Staff Internal brief The internal brief is to inform staff about the situation and how this might affect them. This will also tell staff they must not talk to the media and to direct the enquires to the media team.

Interpersonal media

Families of the crisis

Email Phone call

This email will consist of an official apology and guidance for managing how the customers are affected. Key message 3 will be included.

The phone call will be the same as the email. Key message 1,2 & 3.

Interpersonal media

CEO Email: script/speech

Phone call Meeting

This email will include the script for the press conference including key messages 15.

Phone call and meetings with CEO to ensure understanding and training for speaking.

Uncontrolled media Journalists Media outlets

Media release Press conference

Media release to include and confirm the apology to passengers effected. Say sorry and what is happening in the future for carnival Australia. Key messages 1,2,

Press conference spokesperson will be the CEO. The speech will be an apology, reassure the media Carnival Australia has offered support to the passengers and include key messages 1,2,3 & 5. The CEO

16 Mahoney, J. (2017). Strategic communication (2nd ed., pp. 113-125). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

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will also say they will review their policies.

Objective 2: Increase awareness of alcohol consumption and behavioural standards by 50% amongst passengers of Carnival Australia who are over the age of 18 within 12-months.

Communication pathway

Target publics Tool Details

Controlled media Investors Cruise ship staff

members Australian board

members Security staff Passengers

Annual report Internal brief Surveys

The internal brief will inform staff and security about the current situation and of new changes to policy. Key messages 2, 3 & 5.

The Annual report will include key messages 2, 3, 4 & 5. It will discuss this objective in a positive light to build/maintain stakeholder relations.

The survey will include a category of very poor, poor, satisfactory, good and excellent to capture the data. Questions will be based around alcohol behaviour and attitudes. Eg. How did you find the drinking behaviour of passengers 18 years or older to be on your cruise?

Interpersonal media Managers and staff onboard cruise ships

Human Resources Australian board

members

Internal meetings/training for staff

Collaborating with HR, internal training will be conducted to ensure all cruise ship staff know and understand alcohol and passenger behaviour management. Key messages 2,3 &5.

Interactive (social) media

P&O Australia Cruise Addicts Facebook group

Facebook: post Instagram: post Twitter: post

A social media plan (looks at trends, hashtags, content) will be developed to compliment the objective and include key messages 2,3, &5.

Uncontrolled media Current and future passengers

Investors Staff Journalists

Infographic: boarding pass, website, posters, bar menus.

Media release

The infographic will include facts about alcohol related negative behaviour and statistics of what Carnival Australia aims to achieve. E.g. Any more than 4 drinks per day is considered binge drinking, be responsible and know your limits. E.g. Staff have a duty of care under the responsible service of alcohol, they cannot serve you if clearly intoxicated. Key Message 5.

The media release addresses the action taken since objective 1 and that Carnival Australia are working hard to change attitudes and behaviours for passengers and staff. Key message 2,3, & 5.

Objective 3: Increase reputation by 30% within 6 months by introducing a policy addressing excessive negative behaviour of staff and passengers onboard Carnival cruise ships.

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Communication Pathway

Target Publics Tools Details

Controlled media Passengers Managers of floor staff

and safety, on cruise ships

Australian board members

Future passengers interested in booking a cruise

Online surveys Internal brief Safety video:

website, boarding, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Website: new policy HR training

The survey is for passengers to collected data regarding objective 3. The survey will ask questions with answer options including very poor, poor, satisfactory, good and excellent. An example question includes: Does Carnival Australia’s new zero tolerance policy increase your likelihood of cruising with us again?

Details continued

Internal brief will inform staff of the new changes and survey being released. Noting staff need to encourage passengers to engage in survey.

Train cruise ship staff how the policy affects them. Offer them management and solutions to probable situations. The website will contain the new safety video and Carnival Australia’s zero tolerance alcohol abuse and disrespectful behaviour

policy. This will also be on the home page to emphasise its impact. Video: This will be similar to an airline safety video however it will be focused on alcohol consumption and creating a family

friendly environment. The video will be creative and engaging for viewers and published on social media to create a huge reach and exposure to the lay public. Essentially, the aim is to go viral to increase reputation of Carnival Australia. New Zealand Airlines has a perfect example to the approach Carnival will need to take17. Carnival Australia perhaps could partner with Pirates of the Caribbean or Nemo to enhance the video, reach and optimise audience.

Interpersonal media Managers of cruise ship that deal with safety and boarding procedures. E.g. flight attendant safety demonstration video before take-off.

Skype/phone conference

Reinforce key messages with safety managers. Key messages 2,3,4, & 5.

Interactive (social media) P&O Australia Cruise Addicts Facebook group

Carnival Australia social media followers

Potential customers First time cruises

Facebook: safety video

Instagram: safety video

Twitter: safety video YouTube: safety

video

The video will be posted in accordance with the social media plan to ensure consistency with objective 2. However, emphasis will be on key message 4.

Uncontrolled media Journalists Media outlets

Media release This will announce the new video released by Carnival. It will ensure a strong message to say how Carnival aims to improve alcohol related behaviour and attitudes. Key message 2,3,4 & 5.

17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOw44VFNk8Y

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RationaleThe first priority is to inform the CEO and ensure no one talks to the media. The second is to contact the families involved to apologise and offer assistance and support them. In the meantime, internal meetings will be held to decide how to talk to the media. In the email and phone call engagements with the families, the key messages will be included to reinforce how serious Carnival Australia is on rectifying the crisis. These tools are most appropriate as this platform is personal, private and professional18. Using social media such as Twitter or Facebook messenger would be inappropriate as it is too casual and unofficial which isn’t helpful to the situation. The communications team will be working with the CEO to prepare a speech for the press conference to ensure key messages are relayed and the CEO can handle questions by journalists. The rationale for a press conference is a great mechanism for putting a face to the organisation and ensuring multiple news outlets get the same speech/discussion19. This tactic assists to mitigate framing the conference drastically as there will be many news outlets covering this story, if it is spun drastically the news outlet will lose credibility. Finally, a media release will complement the objective as it will include the key messages, the apology to the families and where Carnival Australia’s future lies. The strategic communication approach to all tactics support the ‘rule of three’. The message is repeated three times in three different ways on three different media platforms. This rule suggests that people are more likely to understand and accept the message which is what is critical in crisis and reputation management20.

The rule of three is used also in objective two and three which can be seen in the table above under “key messages”. Each objective has a media release to compliment the other tactics to reinforce the message and ensure publics Carnival Australia is following up with its promise as stated in objective one.

Strategic approachVision: “Together we deliver unmatched joyful vacation experiences and breakthrough shareholder returns by exceeding guest expectations and leveraging our scale.”

The overall communication strategy supports Carnival’s vison to ensure reputation and public relations are maintained to a high standard. The objectives focus on ensuring passengers behaviours and attitudes are positive towards the organisation while mitigating reputation damage from the crisis. Furthermore, it aims to lessen risk of negative alcohol associated behaviour such as brawls, fights, irresponsible service of alcohol, drinks packages, verbal abuse and intoxication that requires medical treatment.

18 Mahoney, J. (2017). Strategic communication (2nd ed., pp. 146-155). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. 19 Mahoney, J. (2017). Strategic communication (2nd ed., pp. 158-159). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.20 Mahoney, J. (2017). Strategic communication (2nd ed., pp. 168). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

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BUDGETThe total available budget for delivering the communication strategy is 461,700. Below is a breakup of the costs needed in this communication strategy activity.

Component Budget Category Total costs(AUD Inc. GST)

Internal communication program * Budget highlights needs for strategic communications plans and employee engagement

Material production (guidelines and media kit) 3,000Agency fee 25,000Consultants fee 15,000Plan and Implement team briefing sessions 8,000Material dissemination costs – briefing kits 5,000Meeting costs –Carnival Headquarter 12,000Meeting costs – regional area 4,000Training development 16,000Training materials 6,000Venue Hire 17,000Human resources survey materials 8,000 Subtotal 119,000

Publication materials

*Budget highlights needs for publication printing and distribution of information in hard copy

Infographic – 8,000 pieces 9,200Brochures - 12,000 pieces 8,000Posters - 5,000 pieces 7,000Writing and design fee 12,000Logistics and distribution fee 15,000 Subtotal 51,200

Videography

* Budget allocated for marketing and promotions

Concept and script development 14,000Editing, design, production and dissemination costs

21,000

Cost of airtime and space in the media 32,000Studio time 12,500Artist fees 9,000 Subtotal 88,500

Website and other online platforms

* Budget including the establishment and maintenance of website and other online platforms

Technical solution 12,000Adding/updating content and development plan 9,500Graphical design for website and other online platforms

15,000

Content management 14,500 Monitoring systems 11,000Maintenance 8,500 Subtotal 70,500

Press Conference

* Budget allocated for media events

For 120 people @ 40 per person 4,800Information kits 2,000Venue Hire 6,000

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Subtotal 12,800

BUDGET CATEGORY TOTAL 342,000Administrative costs 10% 34,200Monitoring and evaluation 10% 34,200Miscellaneous fees (contingency) 15% 51,300

GRAND TOTAL 461,700

EvaluationSuccess of Carnival’s communication strategy will be measured informally by:

o Increase awareness around issues of passenger safety and respectful behaviour on all cruise ships among key stakeholders

o Positive media coverage about Carnival’s alcohol consumption restrictions and zero tolerance policy towards excessive negative behaviour

o Increased traffic to the social media post about the key messages across the whole social media platform

o Increased traffic to the safety video across the whole social media platform

Results of the surveys will be analysed to compare and contrast the success of the communication strategy. An initial survey was released at the beginning of the second objective and again at the end of the objective. This information will assist to determine an average score, as the surveys were a number-based rating. For example, if the first survey result had an average score of 3- satisfactory and the second survey had an average score of 5-excellent this would confirm the success of the communication strategy.

The following metrics will use a quantitative method to measure the online audience engagement rate to the Carnival’s social media posts and video around the issue of passengers’ safety and zero tolerance policy.

- Social Media PostsThe following metrics are associated with measurements surrounding Carnival’s safety posts:

Indicators MeasurePosts comments rate The percentage of users comments on Carnival’s passenger

safety and zero tolerance policy postsPosts Likes, Dislikes, and Favourites rate The percentage of Likes, Dislikes, and Favourites on

Carnival’s passenger safety and zero tolerance policy posts across the whole social media platform

Posts share rate The percentage of users that shared Carnival’s passenger safety and zero tolerance policy posts across the whole social media platform

Hashtags rate The percentage of users that shared hashtags surrounding Carnival’s passenger safety and zero tolerance policy posts

Ongoing analytics evaluations are necessary for keeping up with the overall pulse of general conversation around Carnival’s passenger safety and zero tolerance policy posts. It is also recommended to use Google Analytics to give a more detailed report to the key metrics and visualisations to help create a fully customisable analytics report.

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*Please note regular monitoring of expenditure is essential; not just to verify expenditure against the target budget and to set communications activities but also to identify changing patterns or circumstances that require corrective action. Meetings between the head of the communication department and the budget team should be held at regular intervals (ideally monthly) to identify any corrective actions which are to be formally documented and agreed.

- Carnival Australia’s safety video The following metrics are associated with Carnival’s safety video:

Indicators Measure Subscribers The number of users that subscribes to Carnival’s passengers

safety video across the whole social media platformLikes, Dislikes, and Favourites rate The percentage of Likes, Dislikes, and Favourites on

Carnival’s passengers safety video across the whole social media platform

Shares rate The percentage of users that shared Carnival’s passengers safety video across the whole social media platform

Views rate The percentage of users that view Carnival’s passengers safety video

Overall, the online audience engagement metrics results will give Carnival Australia’s communication team a more understanding to measure the spread of information around Carnival’s cruise ship safety information and zero tolerance policy across its social media platform. The result will also give insight to track online audience’s feedback and support around the issue of Carnival's passenger safety.

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