Residents of a sleepy central Virginia town were surprised in March by a coordinated campaign to identify and woo one of their local teenagers.
Carnival Cruise Lines first posted signs all over town, then augmented their effort with a gigantic rolling billboard on a truck. The sign featured a picture of "Chief Fun Officer" Shaquille O'Neal with the text "DOES ANYBODY KNOW DARIAN?"
The Darian in question was Darian Lipscomb, 15, owner of a Snapchat account with a distinctive handle: @CarnivalCruise. Lipscomb had previously been on several Carnival cruises, and had such a good time that he started a Snapchat account to document his adventures and share with friends.
Carnival representatives eventually found Lipscomb, and surprised him by offering, in exchange for the desirable Snapchat handle, an all-expenses-paid cruise to Barcelona for him and family aboard its newest ship, Carnival Horizon—a trip with a retail value of about $5,000.
"We thought this would be a fun way to claim our handle and reward a 'superfan' at the same time," said Robyn Fink, a spokesperson for Carnival, who also referred to the trip as "a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Potential preaching angles: 1) Names have lasting importance and value. Carrying a name can confer power and authority if the name is significant enough. God's name is special and should not be treated lightly.2) Testimony; Witness – We should be as excited as Darian to "share" the Good News of our experience of salvation with others; 3) Seeking the lost. Christians are on a mission to seek and find the lost and offer them a personal invitation.
