Carnival to be exclusive cruise advertiser for Olympics

Carnival Cruise Lines said it will be the exclusive advertiser in the cruise category on NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics, which starts Friday.

Carnival’s new “Bobslide” TV spot follows four young, thrill-seeking cruisers who race together down one of Carnival’s water slides. The spot was tailored for the Olympic broadcast and is designed to build consumer interest during Wave season, Carnival said.

The 30-second spot will debut on Feb. 6 and will air on NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, NBC Sports Network and USA Network throughout the duration of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

Carnival has created an Olympic-themed Instagram photo contest with a $500 gift card prize.

The cruise line also will post YouTube videos featuring Olympics-inspired drinks developed by Carnival’s master mixologist.