Thomson unveils new marketing structure
Thomson Holidays has overhauled its marketing and customer focus with the creation of a customer board.
Former marketing and product director Tim Williamson became customer director last year and has been working to create a new marketing and product model for the tour operator and its brands.
There will be four functions reporting to Williamson. These are CRM; marketing comms, brand strategy & innovation; customer delivery overseas, and customer services.
The restructure sees current head of brand strategy Andrew Laurillard handed extra responsibilities, including innovation and assigned a new job title. He will lead the function that includes advertising, direct marketing and retail marketing
The CRM function will oversee CRM “in the broadest sense” and seek to bring customer data together form a number of points within the company to add value to the customer experience.
Customer services will see the team that handles customer complaints and feedback set up to operate from head office in Luton under the likely name of the customer retention team.
Customer delivery overseas will be the department working with the tour reps and personnel infrastructure overseas to leverage the large investment Thomson has made in training and recruitment over the first half of this year.
Laurillard says: “Our response to the recession is to be better and to be different to rivals and to do-it-yourself holidays.”
Thomson launched its integrated summer campaign earlier this month with television ads devised by Beattie McGuiness Bungay. The campaign continues with the “Holidays built with you in mind” strapline.
Rival tour operator Thomas Cook says that it is unaffected by its German parent company Arcandor filing for bankruptcy last week. However, speculation is building as to whether any stakeholder or third party may mount a bid for the UK-listed company.
Thomson Holidays is owned by TUI AG and merged with First Choice at the end of 2007.
