Thomson takes aim at “copycat” holiday companies
Thomson Holidays is taking a new tack in its latest press advertising to focus on what makes its products different to other holiday companies.
The TUI UK-owned company says: “There’s no comparison campaign” highlights four key messages in bullet point form. It begins with the line “Some companies claim they can copy our holidays for less. Let’s set the record straight.”
It goes on to stress that 75% of Thomson Holidays are not available anywhere else, its hotels are handpicked and that its holidays are particularly tailored to customer segments, for example Thomson Couples.
The ad also point to recommendations on TripAdvisor and says “see for yourself.”
The late bookings ad is running in Metro today and other national newspapers over the weekend and the campaign is supported by a giveaway of “thousands” of Kids Go Free places if booking before 30 June.
Tour operators and other holiday companies are experiencing a tough year due to the economic downturn squeezing family budgets, high fuel costs and the uncertainty caused by civil unrest across many Middle Eastern destinations, such as Tunisia.
Jeremy Ellis, head of marketing at TUI UK & Ireland, says: “This campaign for Thomson is a direct reflection of TUI UK’s business strategy to invest in distinctive product that the rest of the market is unable to copy and which will drive higher margins.”
TUI Travel was demoted from the Top 100 FTSE companies this week. It narrowed pre-tax losses in its half year results posted in May when it said holiday booking were ahead of last year.
