Latest news with #SanremoMusicFestival
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Carnival's Marketing Engine Goes Full Throttle: Can it Boost Demand?
Carnival Corporation & plc CCL is making an aggressive pivot toward high-impact marketing to drive bookings amid minimal capacity growth. With no new ship deliveries in 2026 and only three scheduled over the next four years, the cruise giant is turning to brand storytelling and experiential promotions to boost momentum and the first quarter of fiscal 2025, Carnival executed one of its expansive marketing pushes to date during Wave season. Its flagship Carnival Cruise Line brand launched splashy campaigns tied to cultural tentpoles like the Oscars and the Super Bowl. These efforts featured brand ambassador Shaquille O'Neal and celebrity chefs Guy Fieri and Emeril Lagasse, generating more than 5 billion media impressions. Costa Cruises amplified its exposure in Italy through a live performance on Costa Toscana during the Sanremo Music Festival, while AIDA Cruises continued its AIDA Evolution program by revamping AIDAdiva with upgraded onboard campaigns are translating into results. The company reported historically high pricing across all core programs and over 80% of 2025 capacity booked by the end of the fiscal first quarter. Booking volumes for 2026 also hit an all-time high. Carnival's strong marketing execution was instrumental in lifting net yields by 7.3% year over year in the fiscal first quarter. Carnival's strategic marketing push is enabling pricing discipline and forward-looking demand. With limited fleet expansion and inflationary pressure, the ability to create emotional resonance through brand storytelling could prove to be an asset for the company heading into the back half of the year. Royal Caribbean Group RCL is also leaning on strong brand positioning, though through a different lens. The company's marketing flywheel focuses on deepening customer loyalty via app adoption, personalization, and its cross-brand loyalty ecosystem. New ships like Star of the Seas and Celebrity Xcel are generating record demand, and direct-to-consumer bookings are surging. In the first quarter of 2025, Royal Caribbean's WAVE season was the best in company history, with onboard spending and pre-cruise purchases at all-time highs. Royal Caribbean credits its marketing ecosystem and brand-led ship innovation for driving strong pricing and engagement amid macro Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH is taking a more targeted approach. Its recent campaigns have revolved around experiential upgrades, like the Aqua slide coaster on the newly launched Norwegian Aqua, which garnered over 270 million views across social platforms. Norwegian Cruise also announced significant enhancements to Great Stirrup Cay, including resort-style pools and exclusive clubs, as well as a revamped NCL app to drive pre-cruise revenue. While its broader media exposure remains lower than Carnival's, Norwegian Cruise is doubling down on experiential marketing to foster brand differentiation and premium pricing. Shares of Carnival have gained 26.7% in the past three months compared with the industry's growth of 12.7%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research From a valuation standpoint, CCL trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 12.24X, significantly below the industry's average of 18.57X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CCL's fiscal 2025 and 2026 earnings implies a year-over-year uptick of 30.3% and 12.8%, respectively. The EPS estimates for fiscal 2025 have remained unchanged in the past 30 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research CCL stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Carnival Corporation (CCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
New York Post
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Ahead of the conclave, Italians are playing the game Fantapapa based on fantasy soccer
They're getting a kick out of selecting the next pope. Italians are flocking to play Fantapapa, an online video game inspired by fantasy soccer, where players create a team of 11 papal frontrunners they think could be the next pontiff. More than 60,000 users in Italy are participating in the game, where cardinal position matters — the team captain has the greatest chance to be elected pope, and a goalkeeper is least likely. Once the team is set, players get to predict the new pope's name and whether he will be more progressive or conservative, what day he'll be selected, and how many rounds it will cardinals to decide during the conclave, which begins May 7. Each correct guess earns points — but winners don't get any prizes. 'It's just for fun and for eternal glory,' game co-creator, Pietro Pace, told Euronews. Fantapapa was launched due to the success of Fantacalcio, a fantasy soccer game, and Fantasanremo, a song fantasy game played during Italy's Sanremo Music Festival. Fantapapa allows players to create a team of 11 cardinals they think could become the next pope. AP 'We tried to apply the same logic to the conclave in essence,' Pace said. The papal contender most chosen by Fantapapa enthusiasts is Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who is also the favorite amongst those betting on the election. In the second spot is Archbishop of Bologna Matteo Zuppi, and in third, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines. The papal contender most chosen by Fantapapa enthusiasts is Vatican Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. AP Game co-creator Mauro Vanetti said the idea came from the significance of the papal election around the world. 'We know that the religious hierarchies are part of the power in this country and also, let's say, at an international level, so it is a historic event and it seemed interesting to us to take it from a light-hearted side, but also based on real data,' he told the outlet.
Arab Times
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
Andy Taylor of Duran Duran fighting stage 4 cancer 'as hard as he can'
LOS ANGELES, Feb 15: Andy Taylor, founding member of Duran Duran and guitarist, is battling his stage 4 prostate cancer 'as hard as he can,' according to his bandmates. The 63-year-old musician first revealed his diagnosis in November 2022, stating that his cancer was 'asymptomatic' after initially being diagnosed in 2018. At a press conference during the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy, Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon shared that Taylor's diagnosis was 'very late, fourth-stage metastasized cancer.' Taylor, who was unable to attend the band's induction ceremony, had Le Bon read a letter on his behalf. Following the announcement, Taylor addressed his fans, saying he had been told that he would need 'palliative, end-of-life care.' During his appearance at the festival, Le Bon discussed the enduring bond within the band, explaining that they have remained together for so many years without disputes over money. 'There is something between us that keeps us together,' he said. 'First of all, we love the music we make together. Nobody else makes music like we do. We've all tried to do things on our own, and it just doesn't seem as exciting as when the four of us get together and work.' Le Bon also emphasized the importance of humor within the band. 'We make each other laugh, and I think that's very important in a long relationship. When we are under stress, we laugh all the way through it, and it keeps everything light and fun,' he said. He continued, 'And the other thing is, we split all the proceeds equally. No one takes all the publishing. We all share the finances equally.' In a 2023 interview with The Times of London, Taylor shared that a doctor introduced him to a breakthrough cancer treatment, a 'nuclear medicine' called Lutetium-177, designed to target cancer cells. He revealed that in August 2023, the treatment extended his life 'for five years.' After undergoing a round of this treatment with Dr. Christopher Evans, whom Taylor described as the 'Elon Musk of cancer,' the musician was 'radioactive for several days.' Taylor explained, 'I was classified as palliative, end-of-life care… and now I'm not. I'm asymptomatic.' At that time, he added that he couldn't sleep in the same room as others or use public transportation due to the radioactive treatment. Reflecting on his earlier emotional struggles, Taylor recalled, 'You're gonna have to say goodbye to your family. You're not going to see your grandson's tenth birthday. Psychologically it's mind-blowing — you can't have therapy to remove the certainty of death.' Taylor had initially declined chemotherapy treatment because he didn't want to risk nerve damage to his hands, which are critical for his guitar playing. He also explained why he kept his diagnosis a secret for years, stating that he wanted his grown-up children 'to be able to go about life without anyone persistently asking about my health.'
The Independent
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor ‘fighting cancer as hard as he can'
Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor is 'fighting as hard as he can' as he continues treatment for cancer, his bandmates have said, as they addressed his absence at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. The musician, 63, revealed in 2022 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018. The following year he said his cancer was 'asymptomatic', having previously been told he needed 'palliative, end-of-life care'. Speaking at a press conference at Sanremo, frontman Simon Le Bon told attendees that Taylor's cancer was 'very late, fourth-stage metastasised cancer'. 'He's fighting as hard as he can,' he said of his bandmate, the Daily Mail reported, 'and we are with him in that fight'. Andy Taylor joined Duran Duran in April 1980 and left after six years to pursue a solo career. He rejoined the band in 2001 for a series of successful concerts – as well as their 2004 album, Astronaut – before leaving again in 2006. In 2023, he hit back at reports that there was bad blood between him and his former bandmates, pointing to a moving letter read out by Le Bon as the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Taylor did not attend the ceremony due to ill health. In the same interview, he discussed how he had approached a doctor who told him about a treatment involving radioactive chemicals given intravenously, which would target only cancer cells. He said he was declared 'asymptomatic' after the treatment and called the scientist, Christopher Evans, the 'Elon Music of cancer'. Taylor said two symptoms alerted him that something was wrong: bone pain while jogging, which he almost mistook for arthritis after his years of live performances, and erectile dysfunction, which was masked by his use of Viagra. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members) Sign up Asked about the prospect of returning to Duran Duran, he also said: 'No, I'm not going to rejoin the band ... I would not say no to (part time for) the opportunity, particularly for the fans, but as I keep reminding people, you have to be asked.' Speaking at the panel in Italy, Le Bon explained what it is that has kept the the British pop group together all these years. 'First of all, we love the music we make together – nobody else makes music like we do,' he said. 'We've tried doing things on our own, and it just doesn't seem to be as exciting as when the four of us get together and work.' He continued: 'We make each other laugh. I think that's really important in a long relationship. When we're under stress, we laugh our way through it and it keeps everything light and fun. And the other thing is, we split all the proceeds equally… we all share equally in the finances.' Adding to his point, bassist John Taylor said chemistry was 'so important' in groups and that he felt the 'day of the group is almost gone… were there any groups at the Grammys this year?' 'We grew up in the Sixties and Seventies, and we saw that dynamic play out onstage and on record, where you have equal partners bringing something special to everything that they do, and we haven't found a way of improving on that,' he said. 'There's something very special about our chemistry with each other.' During the festival, Duran Duran performed a number of their classic hits including 'Ordinary World', 'Girls on Film', 'Psycho Killer' and 'Wild Boys'.
