Digital Drums’ Steve Dunne reveals which brands have been the most inspirational and which have played it safe
Given the uncertainty around the economy for the coming year – and its possible impact on the discretionary spending intentions of consumers – the UK travel industry has shown an optimism and determination not seen for several years with this year’s peaks television advertising.
From some travel brands, we have seen the bravery of a brand‑new advertising campaign; for others, it’s been the safer option of a tweaking and freshening up of an existing campaign; while a further handful have decided to play it safe and recycle the old stuff.
Whichever option travel brands have chosen, there is little doubt that TV’s advertising breaks in the period since Christmas have seen a larger industry presence than for many years gone by.
So, let’s have a look at the runners and riders this year – and see who were the winners and who were the also-rans.
•Steve Dunne is chief executive of marketing agency Digital Drums
Hays Travel: Holidays outside the box
If there was an individual award for the most improved travel brand for television advertising this year, it would without doubt go to Hays Travel. Its 30-second “Think outside the box” ad marks a considerable improvement in quality over last year’s offering.
It features a family booking a holiday to Portugal; when the travel advisor presses enter on her keyboard, the walls of the agency fall away amid much shaking of the ground to reveal a glorious beach scene and an invitation to the family to step onto it.
With lots of branding throughout, it’s a strong advertisement from the agency. In the internet age, thinking outside the box is using a travel advisor, and that message comes across strongly.
3/5
Thorne Travel: Where great journeys begin
Television advertising often gets an ill-deserved reputation for being expensive, too fragmented and requiring Hollywood-style production to be successful. So, it was good to see Scottish agency Thorne Travel embracing the medium with a 30-second ad on STV across the holiday period.
While the content is fairly simple, featuring scenes of travel destinations and beaches, the voiceover and the captions on screen use language that will resonate with the audience, including: “Award-winning travel agency”, “Expert team who have been there and done that” and “Book local, travel global”.
It’s all designed to position the agency as the place to go to arrange travel and it concludes with a strong call to action. It’s a good, solid advertisement that does its job well.
3/5
Kuoni: It’s not where, it’s why
Kuoni had a really different TV offering for this year’s advertising campaign. It wasn’t just different for Kuoni, whose new brand positioning includes focusing on families, but it was also different from the approach of the rest of the sector in selling travel – because it focuses on the reason people go on holiday rather than where they travel to.
Set against a haunting music bed, and with stunning camera work, the narrator tells the story of six-year-old Sophia, who thinks flamingos are mythical creatures, akin to unicorns or dragons, until she travels with her parents to Lake Nakuru in Kenya, where she sees them in real life and experiences a “wow” moment.
A strong call to action announcing a sale is a nice touch too. This ad is certainly different, and should grab the audience’s attention.
4/5
P&O Cruises: Norwegian Fjords Like Never Before
One challenge facing many brands when it comes to advertising is what to do with a successful advertisement. If you stick with it and overplay it, habituation for the consumer kicks in. It becomes so familiar to them that they start to ignore it. If you go for something new, as John Lewis and M&S do most years, it runs the risk of disappointing the consumer – “it’s not as good as the old one”.
The answer is to tweak the successful and familiar advertisement, and that is what P&O Cruises has done this season. The same music bed and some familiar scenes from previous advertisements are intertwined with new footage and a new message – a cruise to the fjords. Throw in some strong branding, in the shape of a P&O Cruises ship with the Union Jack on its bow, and you have a winning formula.
4/5
Shearings: Hassle-Free Holidays
Touring company Shearings aired its first television advertisement for a few years this peaks season, marking a rebrand and new tone of voice for the operator. Opening with what appears to be an old rocker reflecting on how touring has changed – “Touring these days is a whole different world” – he emphasises that it is now “hassle-free” before his reverie is interrupted by his partner ushering him onto the Shearings coach.
The branding is strong, the messaging clear and the caption to “see your local travel agent” at the end is a great call to action.
3/5
Imagine Cruising: More than just a cruise
The age-old problem for the cruise sector is getting those who have never cruised before to see that a cruise is more than just sailing on a ship. Imagine Cruising rises to the challenge in a creative and tasteful way. With a music bed of the Carpenters’ We’ve Only Just Begun, a dinner table is set for a feast, dressed with models of iconic landmarks.
The camera pans across the table, showing us the Taj Mahal, Mount Fuji, the Colosseum and the Great Wall of China set among dishes of exquisite food, and ends with a model cruise ship sailing across a cocktail glass while the voiceover states: “Imagine Cruising – more than just a cruise.” This clever ad is the high watermark of this year’s travel peaks advertisements. It’s a surefire winner.
5/5
Riviera Travel: Forever Curious
With a powerful narrative – “Ever imagined the first time you see a lion in the wild?”; “Is Japan worth the long flight?”; “Ever pondered how ancient civilisations built this?” – set against a backdrop of iconic visuals of the Serengeti, Mount Fuji and Petra, this ad knows how to resonate with its target audience.
Plugging its signature product and pointing to its recommendation by Which? magazine for the past 13 years, this is an effective TV advert.
3/5
Eurocamp: Anything’s Euro-possible
In this fast-moving advert, a series of visuals is accompanied by a rap that puts the word euro before every activity – “euro-splash” for a dip in the pool, “euro-chill” for relaxing, “euro-grill” for barbecuing, “euro-smash” for playing tennis, and on and on it seems to go.
I can imagine that at the concept stage this seemed a powerful idea, but in reality, after watching it a couple of times, it quickly grates.
2/5