The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is finalising details of a £250,000 campaign to raise public awareness of the new Atol Certificate, to be launched on Boxing Day.
The CAA campaign will run chiefly online using banner ads, buttons and strips as well as videos, linked to cookie-targeted advertising. There will also be pay-per-click ads on Google.
Ads will appear initially on Tripadvisor and perhaps some online travel agent (OTA) sites, on the grounds that the CAA does not have a huge budget and “people research online even if they book on the high street”.
The campaign will kick off on December 26 and last to the end of January, running alongside major advertising campaigns for the peak booking period already announced by Thomas Cook and Tui Travel.
The CAA will also set up a dedicated micro-site with a one-minute video explaining the Atol scheme and Atol Certificates, a section on frequently asked questions and a link to the CAA’s existing facility allowing consumers to check a company’s Atol.
A series of shorter, 10-20 second videos, will appear as ‘pre-roll’ videos triggered by cookies on some sites. All ads will direct people to the micro-site.
The CAA will use its own money for the £250,000 campaign and the £50,000-worth of market research it commissioned in advance.
It has yet to finalise the slogans, but a spokesman said the aim would be not to scaremonger or frighten people. The spokesman said: “This has to be something the industry is happy to run with.”
The CAA also plans some traditional advertising. This will include a leaflet to go into high-street stores for distribution to customers.
The leaflet will be available to download, and the CAA will also prepare press packs for agents to customise and send out to local media.
The CAA believes 80% of customers buying protected holidays are already receiving Atol Certificates.
CAA head of Atol Andy Cohen said: “We have been impressed with the industry’s ability to implement the Certificate in such a short space of time.”