Norwegian’s New COO Vows To Provide Better Guest Experiences
by Andrew Sheivachman /Norwegian Cruise Line’s new president and COO Drew Madsen plans to challenge the cruise line’s workforce to provide a better experience for guests.
“If you don’t have a highly-engaged workforce, that will be reflected in your guests’ experience,” said Madsen. “Ultimately, the difference between an okay cruise experience and a great cruise experience is the discretionary effort your frontline employees volunteer.”
Drew Madsen spoke with Norwegian’s travel partners during a webinar this week.
He joins the cruise line after more than a decade working at Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden and The Capital Grille. He has also held executive and marketing positions at General Mills.
Brand awareness
“Cruising is a very interesting business with a lot of moving parts,” said Madsen. “What attracted me to it was that [it involves] what I enjoy doing most: building great brand experiences.”
“In many ways, the portfolio of brands at the new Norwegian parent company mirrors the portfolio at Darden,” he added.
Madsen lauded Norwegian’s financial strengths during the webinar, citing the cruise line’s growth over the last five years as key to his decision to join the company.
He credited Norwegian’s corporate team for the cruise line’s turn around since 2008.
“I’ve got enormous respect for what the team at Norwegian has done since 2008,” he said. “There aren’t too many companies that can generate compound annual growth of 8%.
“The opportunity going forward is to recognize the foundation of strength that’s been built—especially on the financial side.”
Agent’s value
Madsen admitted he has limited experience with cruising. He and his family have taken Disney, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas cruises in recent years.
He did, however, book these cruises with a travel agent.
“In each instance I used a travel partner to [book my vacation], for the same reason everyone else uses them—it’s not an inexpensive purchase, and you want to make sure your family has a great time onboard,” said Madsen.
“[Cruising] isn’t something a lot of people know about, and that’s why you go to someone to help guide you through that.”
Refining the experience
Madsen said he will also work to better define the value proposition of the Norwegian brands.
“I love understanding how consumers live their lives and giving them a better experience,” said Madsen. “That’s also how you form a competitive advantage.”
Customer loyalty will be one of his priorities.
“We need to focus on future innovations to create an experience that is even more memorable and to build loyalty at a faster level,” said Madsen.
“Do we have a value proposition for a cruise experience that’s differentiated and highly satisfying? That’s the place to start.”