Earlier this month, Celebrity Cruises
debuted its latest marketing tool, a life-sized hologram named Lexi that shares
information about the cruise brand’s travel offerings. The hologram, projected
onto a plexiglass cutout with high tech film, turned heads at the annual event and doubled the
number of visitors at Celebrity’s booth.
Scott Clifton, director of sales for
Celebrity Cruises, got the idea for Lexi while walking through a TSA checkpoint
at Long Beach Airport, where a hologram named AVA – short for Airport Visual
Assistant – gave passengers directions on how to move through the checkpoint
with ease.
“I was fascinated by how other
passengers looked at her,” said Clifton. “Several people even took video and
self-portraits with AVA.”
Clifton reached out to the avatar’s
manufacturers, found a local actress to play Lexi and recorded different
scripts on Celebrity Cruises’ wide range of amenities. Additional avatars have
been ordered and the company plans to use the tools in key markets across the
U.S.
“While Lexi could never replace
Celebrity Cruises’ outstanding sales team, she has proven to be a real show
stopper at consumer events,” said Keith Lane, vice president of sales. “An
added benefit is that she doesn’t take lunch breaks or need any days off.”
