The journey towards the star

Background

Shipping company sets course for Michelin star

The shipping company DFDS has launched an ambitious new campaign with the ultimate goal of being rewarded with a Michelin star. In collaboration with the agency MUST, the company is producing a TV documentary that allows the viewers to follow former Noma and El Bulli chef, Søren Westh, as he changes the brand’s course.

Idea

The shipping company DFDS has launched a new campaign hoping to be awarded a Michelin star by the end of 2019.

The first step on the journey was taken in 2016 when the company with the native campaign "Le Buffet" changed the perception of travelling with DFDS. The perception of the overall experience changed from 15% to 37%, and the perception of the restaurants on board the company's two ships, Crown and Pearl, jumped from 38% to 60%.

Last year DFDS launched a follow-up campaign "The Beef", which achieved widespread media attention, as a prestigious judging committee, consisting of prominent Danish chefs and other personalities from the Danish restaurant business, announced and celebrated "The Cut of the Year."

At that point the company decided to reach for the stars - Michelin stars.

In order to reach the ambitious goal, DFDS has established brand new kitchen facilities and owerhauled the menu in order to meet the high standards set by the Guide Michelin. Furthermore, new prominent members have been added to the kitchen crew. Former Noma and El Bulli chef, Søren Westh, has been hired to turn the brand around. In this work he will be assisted by the kitchen manager Christian Mortensen, who has a background in restaurants such as Kul and The Paul in the Tivoli Gardens, which held a Michelin star for 7 years.

To document the entire journey, the creative agency MUST has developed a new platform, which includes a TV Series that follows the journey of Søren Westh and his crew towards the Michelin star. The web-series has been directed by the award-winning Danish director, Fabian Wullenweber.

”The circumstances are challenging. They are on water. We have two ships and two restaurants with four crews working in shifts of 14 days. All of them must receive teaching and training. And if you wish to create spectacular culinary experiences the circumstances matter a lot,” Søren Westh explains.

For DFDS the ambition is primarily to deliver a service that is of the highest standards – standard that in principel were already met, in the former exclusive restaurant on board the ships, The Marco Polo, which in connection with the new ambitious project is renamed as "Sjø".

"We believe that we upheld some very high standards in Marco Polo, but we would like to raise them even higher. Now we have to see if we can meet those expectations," says Kevin Thyge Helsinghof, Global Sales Director of DFDS Seaways

Michael Jeppesen, CEO and Creative Director of MUST adds:

"Lately in the Nordic countries, we have achieved a very high level of fine dining. The crown jewel of that development would be that the tourists, who are visiting Oslo and Copenhagen in order to eat at Michelin restaurants, can take a seat in another one, as they are travelling from one of the capitals to the other."

Read more and see the first six episodes of DFDS's journey by clicking on the links below.

Episode 1: http://youtu.be/5ObqlMW0VLc

Episode 2: http://youtu.be/3jszieBBO4I

Episode 3: http://youtu.be/_LDCHAg2lvU

Episode 4: http://youtu.be/Ql_vJsGpROU

Episode 5: http://youtu.be/kLOpniGQ5ro

Episode 6: http://youtu.be/Am3tkcZVYHM