Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom Star in MSC Cruises Super Bowl Teaser

Drew Barrymore and Orlando Bloom Star in Teaser for MSC Cruises' First Super Bowl Ad

New agency partner Highdive handles the work, an American coming-out party for the European brand

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Either Drew Barrymore is a tone-deaf singer, or Orlando Bloom is a harsh critic of her musical performance.

Turns out it may be a bit of both, according to a teaser for MSC Cruises’ first Super Bowl ad.

The two celebrities will anchor a 60-second commercial for the fast-growing travel company, with a just-released 15-second sneak peek showing Barrymore playing piano and warbling the first few notes of the Madonna classic “Holiday.”

“Was that…good?” she asks Bloom, who’s listening…and cringing.

“Not great,” he says.

But in Barrymore’s typical self-deprecating fashion, she admits, “Yeah, fair.”

The work, which tees up marketing activity for the year, will be the brand’s first national advertising after recently partnering with indie agency Highdive. The ad showcases the brand’s soon-to-launch flagship called MSC World America, setting sail from Miami to the Caribbean on April 9.

MSC aims to break through the “sea of sameness” in the travel category, where “there’s so much consumer confusion—people have trouble even matching the advertising to the right brand,” according to Suzanne Salas, executive vice president of marketing, ecommerce and sales, MSC Cruises USA.

European style, American comfort

A catchy musical hook and high-wattage star power were essential for grabbing the public’s attention, Salas said. And the decision was deliberate to pair an American sweetheart like Barrymore with the British-born Bloom.

“They embody what we want people to know about our brand, that we’re a unique blend of European style and American comfort,” Salas told ADWEEK.

The hero ad will feature Barrymore and Bloom enjoying their vacations, showing off their “amazing chemistry,” per Salas, and touting MSC World America’s luxe amenities. Barrymore is an advertising veteran, with previous Super Bowl appearances, but it will be Bloom’s first Big Game ad.

Three teasers in total will drop in the coming weeks, and a clip will air during the CBS Super Bowl Greatest Commercials special on Feb. 5. The full ad—shot on a soundstage in New York and on board the MSC World Europa—will not air prior to Super Bowl 59, where it’s scheduled for first quarter.

Previously, MSC Cruises has run television spots in local markets only. But as the family-owned brand continues its North American expansion, it was time to go national, per Salas.

“We wanted to introduce MSC to all of America in the biggest way possible,” Salas said of the Swiss-Italian company that’s the third-largest cruise line in the world.

MSC will soon have seven U.S.-based ships, adding cruises out of Galveston, Texas in 2025 and a Seattle-to-Alaska route in 2026, in addition to its Miami service. Aside from the Super Bowl ad on the Fox broadcast network, the brand will debut content across online video, radio, out of home, audio, digital, and national TV.