Craft resonant, emotionally compelling stories to differentiate your brand.

Storytelling captures the imagination of people, and what better way to capture the essence of your brand than to create a personality and tell a unique story. Just like people with different life stories, every brand is unique, even if they appear to share almost all common traits from the outside.

Case Study: Product Personification

To differentiate Uniworld in a highly competitive marketplace, we created our overarching brand story as “the world’s only authentic boutique cruise line” and personified each Uniworld ship, giving them life and allowing customers to emotionally connect to them in a meaningful way.

Naming SS Maria Theresa ~ A Royal Story

When asked to name one of Uniworld’s new ships sailing the Danube River, my inspiration came from a legacy of strong women, past and present. The woman who successfully reigned the very region the new ship would sail, Maria Theresa, the Archduchess of Austria and Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, and the only female ruler of the great Habsburg Empire, ruling from 1740 to 1780. And the founder, owner, and president of Uniworld and Red Carnation Hotels, Mrs. Beatrice Tollman, a true pioneer and visionary in luxury hotels and hospitality, and her talented daughter, Antoinette, lead designer for both Red Carnation Hotels and Uniworld.

Together, Beatrice and Antoinette Tollman would create works of art, both on land and on water. As such, the SS Maria Theresa was fashioned in classic Habsburg Baroque style to seamlessly blend with the history and architecture of the places the ship sails. Stunning antique mirrors throughout; royal crown moulding with real gold leaf; custom furniture painstakingly collected and built by a team of skilled artisans; and a grand entranceway with a ten-foot high oil portrait of the regal Maria Theresa herself—an original composition by her favorite court painter, Martin van Meytens.

The onboard experience of Baroque splendor and a heritage of hospitality, especially since Uniworld’s butlers were trained to the same exacting standards of Buckingham Palace, along with the immersive onshore cultural experience, provided Uniworld’s guests with a 360-degree holistic and authentic experience.

An inauguration perfected by royalty and heritage

Uniworld welcomed the exquisite Super Ship, S.S. Maria Theresa, with an elegant and royal ceremony. Since the ship was named after Archduchess Maria Theresa of the Habsburg-Lothringen dynasty, it was only befitting to have a royal christening by a direct descendent of the great Maria Theresa. The ship’s Godmother, Princess Anita von Hohenberg, not only is a direct descendent of Maria Theresa, she is the great-granddaughter of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie von Hohenberg.

SS Maria Theresa In Pictures