Thorne Travel’s first ever TV advert made its debut on Christmas Day in Scotland, airing during Coronation Street on iPlayer.
The Scottish agency’s advert had been due to air for the first time on Boxing Day, but founder Shona Thorne said it made an appearance during the soap opera on the evening of Christmas Day.
“Several people told us they had seen it there,” she said.
“People have reacted very well to the advert – they say they love it, it’s amazing. Very positive reactions. They say it is very different.”
The Scottish agency, which has shops in Largs, Prestwick and Kilwinning, created the 30-second advert for STV to promote its services during the peak selling season.
More: Viral Thorne Travel video resurfaces on Hunsnet
Thorne had teased clients on social media before Christmas with a message saying: “Guess what’s coming soon? We’ve been working on something exciting, and it’s almost time for the big reveal! Keep your eyes peeled on 26th December — you never know where you’ll see us next! Can you guess where we’ll pop up first?”
She said some clients thought a new shop would be revealed and had suggested several locations, “which bodes well”.
“But nobody guessed it would be a TV ad,” she commented.
She said the advert will air until mid-February as part of the agency’s biggest ever marketing push.
“We thought about how we can expand and an advert would get across how agents are still around,” she said.
“People do go online [to find holidays] but many prefer to come into the shops. Even people looking online like to message us to check things.
“It’s our most expensive [campaign] but we felt the time was right.”
The TV advert features Christiane McCorgray, the branch manager of the Kilwinning shop, and showcases the range of holidays it sells, from adventure tours to city breaks, cruises and family breaks.
Thorne Travel’s peaks campaign will also see the launch of video blogs created by staff which will air on YouTube next month.
The agency has created many marketing videos over recent years, with several going viral, including one from 2014 which resurfaced earlier this year on Hunsnet.