Melé Cruise
Crafting a cultural brand identity that
aims to take consumers places
Client: Tribe + Machel Montano
THE CHALLENGE
Me-mor-able
(adjective)
worth remembering or easily remembered, especially because of being special or unusual.
In December 2019, when Dean Ackin and his team reached out to us to craft a premium cultural brand for Tribe X Machel Montano’s first ever cruise, the one word that rang through in his desire was memorable. He envisioned an identity that would build and sustain excitement around the Soca experience at sea. He and his team imagined a brand that would celebrate the music of our region and the energy of our Caribbean people.
With just a month to build an entire brand from scratch from the name to design, our team on the account hunkered down in their areas of speciality to create an identity that would support the brand in selling out their Oceanview and Interior cabins in just one day.
THE SOLUTION
We wanted to craft a brand that involved more than just making a logo and choosing a colour scheme. Soca and Carnival—the heart of the brand is all about “paying homage to life, love and humanity. It’s an an embrace of yes; an affirmation of alive!”. The cruise’s name and the final identity had to reflect this.
The process began with research into the values and desired experiences from the founders’ minds. Inspiration from which ideas can be drawn from was collected. Brainstorms ensued. Iterations of names were compiled and rationalised. Concept sketches were designed and then developed into a visual identity that represented the brand. Our client, the Tribe Team and Machel Montano then made the decision and Melé as you know it, was birthed.
Other Services We Offered: Pre-launch, Launch and Post-Launch Social Media Management, Content Creation, Event Activation Lead Generation Support, Creation of OOH Branded Assets
The Essence Behind the Name: MELÉ
The Naming Formula
Memorable | Short | Easy to Say | Unique
Rationale: The word ‘mele’ in French means to mix, mingle or blend.
Through the mixture of culturally rich music, dance and costumes, revellers and carnival lovers engage with each other, learning, sharing and celebrating life. Melé represents an action that we believe to be critical in how patrons will experience the cruise.
The Logo
First Concept Sketches
Other Iterations
The Final Approved Logo
Pre-Launch Teaser Videos
Melé in Action
