Yacht builder dazzles with animated TV ad campaign

An entirely new style of performance sports yacht required an entirely new approach to marketing for luxury Devon yacht builder Princess Yachts.

The Plymouth-based company was the first luxury brand to use Japanese Manga style animation for the yachting industry’s first TV advertising campaign.

The innovative approach in selling the game-changing Princess R35 performance sports yacht has now won the Retail Marketing Initiative Boat Builders Award.

The campaign used prime time exposure across Sky and terrestrial channels accompanied by a progressive print ad campaign.

The recognition comes from marine industry experts International Boat Industry, pub- lishers of The Business of Boating at an awards ceremony in Amsterdam last week.

Princess collaborated with Plymouth College of Art on the innovative dazzle camouflage livery used to keep sea trials of the prototype of the R35 secret.

The sea trials were held in Portsmouth, where Ben Ainslie Racing Technologies is based, and in Plymouth.

The bold pattern of the prototype was created by Katie Sheppard from the Plymouth College of Art, who was among 20 students on a BA printed textile design and surface pattern course. The striking camouflage confuses the eye and disguises the boat’s features.

The R35 was unveiled simultaneously at the Cannes Yachting Festival and Southampton Boat Show, alongside key design and development partners such as Pininfarina, Ben Ainslie Racing Technologies, Bentley Motorsport and Naim Audio.

The targeted advertising campaign – in the form of an illustrated mock movie poster and radical new take on “dazzle camouflage” was placed in non-traditional luxury titles to reach new audiences as well as marine titles and was supported by a global PR campaign.

The R35 campaign was supported by Craft Films. Breakfast of Champions created the Manga-style animation which was accompanied by original soundtrack, written and recorded by Gando & Doctor K.

The R35 is the first Princess R Class performance sports yacht. Designed and handbuilt in Plymouth, it combines revolutionary performance capabilities, design, quality, and race-bred technology.

The vessel was designed in partnership with Ben Ainslie Racing Technologies and Pininfarina, the legendary automotive styling house.