Travel agencies have unveiled their biggest turn-of-year campaigns to date using TV as well as social media, cutting-edge technology and other sophisticated marketing techniques.
The campaigns will be backed up by the Civil Aviation Authority’s Pack Peace of Mind campaign on TV from New Year’s Day, featuring talking luggage ‘Justine Case’ to remind holidaymakers to book Atol-protected holidays.
The Travel Network Group’s ‘Your Story Starts Here’ campaign, across digital media, direct mail, Worldchoice TV, e-marketing and the high street, has offers targeted to clients’ closest airports.
The group focuses heavily on social media, urging clients to describe a booking or post ‘selfies’ to tell their holiday story using the hashtag #yourstory.
Si Prentice, group marketing director, said: “We want our campaign to be more relevant.”
Advantage’s ‘We’ll Help You Bring Your Holiday Ideas to Life’ campaign focuses on the agent’s personal advice and knowledge, broadening its appeal by encouraging members to use images across traditional and online channels. For the first time members will receive a USB stick of promotional images.
In addition, the consortium is direct-mailing 31,000 households and has a door-drop of 720,000 brochures to targeted postcodes.
Virgin Holidays is rolling out Google Cardboard in 50 of its 126 stores. The ‘virtual reality headsets’ enable customers to watch footage of the Riviera Maya.
Miles Morgan Travel is spending 20% more than last year, with a direct mailing to clients and TV ads on ITV West for the third year running, while Travel Designers has joined forces with Kuoni to put posters in Balham Underground station for the first time.