Dive Brief:

• Accenture is working with Carnival Corporation on an interactive guest experience platform that includes a wearable device called the Ocean Medallion, a digital portal called the Ocean Compass and a network of Internet of Things devices designed to help Carnival guests get the most out of their vacations. The partnership was announced at CES and via an Accenture press release.
• The platform provides personalization through capabilities like streaming analytics, contextual awareness and machine learning. Accenture is also developing a capability called Experience Genomics for Carnival that will anticipate guest preferences to provide a better vacation experience.
• Carnival crew members will be able to use the platform to anticipate vacationers' needs, according to Michael Jungen, SVP, Global Experience & Innovation Design and Technology at Carnival. 

Dive Insight:

Technology and AI capabilities like machine learning and on-the-fly analytics will increasingly become part of the consumer experience this year as well as offer marketers and customer service teams a more automated way to handle data and personalize messages and user experiences. Such automation will enable to marketers to create the type of value-added experiences previously only available to luxury consumers. For marketers like Carnival that jump early, AI can provide a competitive advantage. 

For example, managing director in Accenture’s Travel Services practice Beau Williamson said Carnival will be able to give each guest a “personal digital concierge” so they can customize their vacation experience to their own preferences and get the kind of customer service typically reserved for high-end guests.

Cruise lines have been open to adding high-tech touches to the open seas. In September, Royal Caribbean partnered with viral content producer TheChive to bring streaming content to its ships giving marketers access to vacationers on those cruise lines.