Tui's Marella Cruises Celebrates Real-Life Adventures

The campaign by Leo UK and Brace Productions inspires the next chapter for an experience-seeking audience of mature travellers

By Creative Salon

06 July 2026

Marella Cruises has launched its new integrated brand campaign, ‘Your Next Story’, that puts real life, lived moments and the joy of retelling them at the heart of its creative. Targetting over-40s, the campaign moves beyond outdated stereotypes, celebrating an audience that is curious, adventurous and self-aware.

Live across TV, on demand, print, digital and social media, the advert was developed in partnership with Leo UK and brought to life by Brace Productions, marking a confident step forward for Marella Cruises, with a tone and style that feels distinctly its own. The advert is set to Ooh La La by Faces, reinforcing its sense of nostalgia, character and emotional pull. 

The 40 second lead advert follows a 40 something couple mid story, recounting their cruise holiday to friends. What unfolds is a series of warm, humorous and relatable moments, presented not as a polished montage but as memories being brought back to life.

Shot using vintage lenses, the scenes carry a soft, dreamlike quality, reflecting how memories evolve with each retelling, gaining richness and colour over time. The result is something that feels distinctly human, less like a traditional advert and more like a story you have told many times and still enjoy sharing.

Tori McCrindle, Senior Marketing Manager at Marella Cruises, says: “Travel advertising has a habit of smoothing the edges off life, but ‘Your Next Story’ does the opposite. It shows that the best holidays aren’t perfect, they’re personal, the moments you laugh about later.

That’s reflected in the Marella Cruises experience, from West End style entertainment and all-inclusive as standard to a seamless end to end service that lets customers focus on making those memories.

We also wanted to reflect an audience that doesn’t always see themselves on screen, people who aren’t winding down but just getting going.”

The campaign will go live on the 6th July 2026 and will be shown across broadcast channels: ITV, Channel 4, STV and Sky. The campaign was created by Marella Cruises with the help of creative partners, Leo UK, production agency, Brace Productions London, with media planned and bought by EssenceMediacom.

Credits

Marella Cruises:

HEAD OF MARKETING: Lucy Lynam

SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER: Tori McCrindle

MARKETING MANAGER: Emma Hayes

CUSTOMER MARKETING SPECIALIST: Emily Morais

TUI:

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO PRODUCER: Josh Gibson

MUSIC: Oh La La - The Faces

PRODUCATION AGENCY: Brace Production

PRODUCER: Kara Lockett

DIRECTOR: Stefan Stuckert