| Our Mission
My mission and guiding editorial principle is to provide consumers with the resources they need to make informed cruise vacation decisions. — Ralph Grizzle, publisher/editor and THE Avid Cruiser
More than 70 percent of those who visit Avid Cruiser come seeking unbiased and independent cruise reviews.
Because of your newsletter, I am now booked on my first river boat cruise down the Danube in June 2013 on Avalon Visionary. I have been on 11 ocean cruises. KEEP UP YOUR WONDERFUL WORK! — an avid cruiser
| Advertise or Sponsor?
Both are good options. But sponsorship is open only to cruise companies, destinations and hotels.
- Sponsorship — for cruise companies, destinations and hotels. Increases your editorial presence on the site. Plus, you can feel good about showing your support for the industry’s hardest-working cruise advocate. You will have the opportunity to place banner ads on the Avid Cruiser website and in our email newsletter, distributed twice weekly to more than 3,000 incredibly savvy consumers.
- Advertising — for any company, especially cruise-sellers, allows you to target special offers and control your budget with varying sizes of ads and impressions.
| What You Get By Advertising & Sponsoring
- Reach consumers who are looking for advice and guidance about cruises. Daily, we receive requests from people asking us for advice about which cruise line, ship or destination to choose. Make yourself present in those discussions.
- Editorial content. We support all cruise lines and destinations, but we tend to focus on cruise lines and destinations that support us if we believe their products are in the consumer’s best interest.
You folks do such a great job! Can’t wait to read what your latest adventures are. I really enjoy how you tell us about the different ships and features they offer. — yet another avid cruiser>>>>>Advertising <<<<<
Advertising Rates | 1 month |
| All pages 728x90 Banner above header | $9 CPM |
| Inside blog posts (on rotating basis with other ads) | $7 CPM |
| Cruise review pages (on rotating basis with other ads) | $7 CPM |
| All pages Sidebar 250x250 above fold | $6 CPM |
| All pages Sidebar 125x125 | $3 CPM |
Advertising Requirements |
||
|---|---|---|
Design and Placement | ||
| Front Page | 728x90 px | Above header |
| Inside blog posts | 468x60 px | Top and/or bottom of content |
| Cruise ship review pages | 468x60 px | Top and/or bottom of content |
| Sidebar 125x125 (Near Top) | 125x125 px | Grouped in a grid near the top |
| Sidebar 250x250 (Near Middle) | 250x250 px | Single large ad near the middle of the sidebar |
* Acceptable file types: jpg, jpeg, png or gif
* Ads not to exceed 75 kilobytes
* Ads may rotate text or image (Gif)
* Ads must be of reasonable quality and not show pixelation
* Ads must not contain blinking or flashy colors
* We may refuse adverts at our discretion
Please contact us if you have questions.
Want to advertise? Contact us via email.
>>>>> Sponsorship <<<<<
Think the NPR/PBSbusiness model. There are three levels of sponsorship.
- Like Us! - Your cruise line will have a strong editorial presence on Avid Cruiser. We will list information about your cruise line, add ship profiles with photos and direct links to a specified web page of your choosing. Sponsorship level: US$750 per month, plus a one-time $200 fee for each professionally written and developed ship profile page.
- Love Us! - Benefits of the above program PLUS we’ll add a fixed banner ad (as opposed to a rotating banner ad) on your Avid Cruiser review pages. $1,000 per month, plus a one-time $100 fee for each professionally written and developed ship profile page.
- Best Friends Forever! – Benefits of both programs above PLUS rotating banner ads in my e-mail newsletter. You also have the option for an iBook review. $1,250 per month, no charge for ship profile pages.
| Sponsorship Levels at a Glance
Like Us! | Love Us! | Best Friends Forever! |
|
| STRONG Editorial Presence Throughout Avid Cruiser | yes | yes | yes |
| Ship Reviews of your entire fleet | $200 fee for each review | $100 fee for each review | FREE! |
| Banner ads on Avid Cruiser | yes | yes | |
| Banner ads in email campaigns | yes | ||
| Optional iPad/iBook review | yes | ||
| $750 per month | $1,000 per month | $1,250 per month |
| Sample Site Metrics
Avid Cruiser has a significant reach but more importantly, a quality one. Each month, we reach more than 40,000 unique visitors who come to read about cruises and cruise destinations. They account for more than 160,000 page views each month.
Metrics below are for the period August 20, 2012 – September 20, 2012. It should be noted, however, that Avid Cruiser is quickly gaining brand momentum, and growth is accelerating month after month.
Google Analytics for 30-day period August 20, 2012 – September 20, 2012
| Feel Good About Your Support
Avid Cruiser is an advocate and a trusted voice in what I believe is the most exciting segment of the travel industry.
A cruise is a great way to explore destinations as well as a potential source of personal enrichment. That’s why I have been avidly cruising for nearly 20 years now.
Please help me continue to grow the Avid Cruiser. Thank you. - Ralph Grizzle
Your sponsorship does more than fund a web site. It funds the cruise industry’s hardest-working advocate.