One of the things they tried to teach me in Business School was that a key part of a business strategy was to clearly understand both what you are and what you are not.
I was thinking about this as I was completing a Viking Romantic Danube river cruise this month. We put people on a variety of different river cruise lines based on what they tell is important to them. Viking is the largest operator by far in Europe, but they are certainly not the only game in town.
So… given the overwhelming amount of marketing that Viking does in the United States, why would someone choose a different river line? There are a variety of answers to this question, but I think Viking articulates it very well.
Here’s what they have to say.
With Viking, there are:
- No casinos
- No children under 18
- No umbrella drinks
- No photographers
- No art auctions
- No charge for beer and wine with meals
- No charge for alternative restaurants
- No charge for WiFi
- No charge for launderettes
- No entrance fee for the spa
- No sales pressure for spa services
- No inside staterooms
- No smoking
- No lines
- No formal nights, butlers, or white gloves
- No nickel and diming
To be clear, some of these things only apply to Viking Ocean, and some other river cruise lines have similar promises, but I really like that they are unapologetic about what they don’t have.
I’m particularly impressed they don’t have any of those offensive umbrella drinks! Actually, I’m not sure exactly how this a differentiator, but apparently they thought this through enough to articulate it.
The absence of a casino is probably a better barometer of the type of client Viking is trying to attract.
It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the ships that have casinos and art auctions, it’s just that it not what Viking does.
By the way, if you’re at all interested in following our recent cruise along the Danube, we posted daily video blogs, and you can view them here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA1r3eOMaDVFxRaTWvnN1x-8f9dFUpUIN
Enjoy!
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I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
