Tui has unveiled a new look and feel for its First Choice brand for the first time since 1994.
The jade-coloured logo with beach, palm tree and sun has been replaced by pink lettering and ‘solaris’ symbol. The ‘The Home of All Inclusive’ strapline has been retained.
Tui marketing director Jeremy Ellis said: “We felt it was time to give new life to the First Choice brand, as it hasn’t changed for more than 20 years.
“It’s been so successful since we repositioned it as an all-inclusive‑only brand for 2012. We now sell over a million First Choice holidays, which makes us the UK’s third-largest tour operating brand after Thomson and Thomas Cook,” he said.
“Going all-inclusive gave the brand real distinction, so this year, we felt it also needed a new look.”
The new logo has evolved from the original pink palm tree.
Ellis said it represented the sun, which people go on holiday to find, and through its “never-ending design”, the all-inclusive product, as customers “can have as much as they want”.
The First Choice website was rebranded on Tuesday and all the Thomson shops in the group’s retail estate will be updated over the next couple of weeks. They will all receive First Choice point-of-sale material, promoting the new brand with Christmas baubles.
A new TV ad will air from December 19, with the strapline ‘Life’s too Short to Say No’.Featuring The Seeker by The Who, the ad depicts a woman going to “any length to get what her heart desires”. She is shown frustrated in a shopping queue, before enjoying whatever she wants in a First Choice resort.
Ellis said the use of a young woman, rather than a family, was a move to appeal to a younger and more affluent demographic.
“First Choice is so well known for its family holidays, we didn’t feel we needed to reinforce that,” he said. “Tui’s ambition is to grow long-haul for both brands, and if you advertise the more aspirational end of what you do, you bring the bulk of your audience along with you.”
The rebrand and TV advert will be supported by a #justsayyes social media campaign.
“People spend 50 weeks of the year saying no to their kids when asked for an ice cream or a drink, so we’re saying: ‘Life’s too short to say no. Just say yes, and book a First Choice holiday,’” said Ellis.
Commercial offers are still being devised, but a First Choice sale will start on December 26.
Ellis said the campaign was First Choice’s largest-ever.