AIRTOURS is lavishing £3 million on Going Places’
biggest advertising campaign ever – just months before the group’s retail
operation rebrands as MyTravel.
The campaign – to feature on television, radio,
newspapers and billboards from Boxing Day – is part of an all-out bid by
Airtours to drive customers into shops in the new year and kick-start the
ailing summer 2002 booking season.
Airtours UKLG retail marketing and commercial director
Tim Marsden told Travel Weekly: “Research indicates that people are willing to
travel – they need a trigger to get their cheque books out.”
He denied that spending so much on a
soon-to-be-defunct brand was counter-productive, but admitted it was a
less-than-perfect situation.
“Going Places is still the brand people know and see,
and it’ll be around for a few months yet,” he said.
“Ideally we wouldn’t do it this way but these things
happen when you’re migrating from one brand to another.”
The advertising will be offer-driven, revolving around
the strapline ‘Deals To Really Get You Going’, but Marsden refused to reveal
“commercially sensitive” details about what kind of post-Christmas holiday
discounts Going Places’ customers could expect.
“We are aiming to capture a disproportionate share of
the market because the campaign will focus on all sectors,” he said. “The deals
are very strong.”
Ricky Tomlinson – aka Jim Royle, the slothful, miserly
character from The Royle Family – will star in the adverts.
He will be seen sitting in his habitual armchair, but
by a foreign beach or a sparkling resort pool instead of in his usual spot in
front of the television.
Marsden explained: “Ricky will be talking about the
offers that prompted him to go on holiday, and his catch-line will be something
like ‘So good, they’ve even persuaded me to go’.”
Last year, Airtours spent £2 million on a regional
television campaign. But this year, Going Places is attempting to ‘own’ more
than one advertising medium by bombarding consumers with deals.
Tony Harris, managing partner with advertising agency
RKCR/WR, said the Going Places ads were not ideal with the MyTravel rebrand so
close. “In a market so dependent on the seasons, Airtours has to advertise. It
is being forced to use the Going Places brand – marketing purity would say not
to do it, but that doesn’t put bums on seats.”
Meanwhile, brand expert Ian
Stephens, of design consultancy Wolff Olins, questioned the wisdom of using a
downmarket character given the aspirational nature of a holiday purchase.