Thomson’s new youth product, Thomson Scene, will help the retailer crack the affluent young professional market, according to marketing boss Jeremy Ellis.
Speaking at the launch of the event in London, Ellis, marketing and digital director, claimed agents had been “crying out” for a more substantial youth product and that Thomson Scene was delivering the goods.
The new brand is for the 18-35 market and has two propositions: Scene Hub, aimed at the younger end of the age bracket, and Scene Style, aimed at the older end. Scene Hub has replaced the group’s 2wentys youth brand, which was launched 30 years ago by First Choice.
Ellis said prior to Thomson Scene there hadn’t been a substantial youth product and that there was a gap in the market for a product suitable to affluent youths.
The new proposition was announced at Abta last year and has been on sale since then, although Thomson didn’t officially launch the product until last night.
Ellis said initial signs from the turn of year suggested that the proposition was resonating strongly. He believes younger agents working in agencies up and down the country will embrace the product which will help push it to the correct demographic.
He added: “We believe that many people suitable for the Scene product will have travelled with us as children and we want to maintain that customer base and keep them travelling with us.
“It’s still very early days, the opportunities and huge and the early signs are that post Christmas this has gone down very well.
“We have an opportunity theough Scene to target a more affluent youth market, where previously we might not have gone for such an affluent market.
“There’s a market out there of younger professionals who don’t just want to have fun but they also want very nice accommodation – this feeds that.
“We are hearing good things from the trade and through our retail side of the business which is always positive.”