Typically Holidays plans to use more celebrity endorsement from household names to promote its brand to the trade after revamping its social media presence.
The operator sent Love Island star Anton Danyluk and his mother on a trip to Florence earlier this year in a promotion with Hays Travel after recruiting a brand ambassador – known simply as Sean@Typically – a year ago.
Sean, who is engaged to owner Daniele Broccoli’s daughter, previously worked in social media to help brands boost their presence online. He visits agents in the north of England in a role previously undertaken by sales rep Tony Byrne, who retired last December and was known to agents as ‘Tony Tagliatelle’.
More: Typically Holidays boss Daniele Broccoli appears on TV auction show
The Italian specialist has now been approached by other “household names” interested in working with the company.
Broccoli said: “We have got projects in the pipeline. Sean, our brand ambassador, looks after our agents in the north of England and sales have increased since he started; he has revolutionised how we work and taken our brand to another level. He has lots of connections and skills.”
The decision to use more image-led posts and celebrity tie-ups on social media has already paid off, with rocketing page views and increased engagement with travel agents.
These include light-hearted and inspiring videos with an Italian theme on Typically’s Facebook page, which used to be an agent-only group and is now open to the public to generate more interaction and commentary online.
One of the early new-style posts, a video of a baby eating pizza for the first time, went viral and attracted more than 2.6 million views on Typically’s Facebook page. Previously, posts attracted around 100 views.
Hays Travel chief operating officer Jonathon Woodall-Johnston said he had been “delighted to receive so many responses” on Hays Travel’s social media channels as a result of the tie-up with Typically, which saw Danyluk posting about the Florence holiday to his more than one million followers on Instagram. The holiday was offered in a Hays competition and bookable through Hays stores.
The new ambassador is also working with agents who want to use Typically’s videos with their own brand on social media.