Jeremy Ellis
Marketing and customer experience director
TUI Travel
Ellis believes high street brands need to align what they do in-store with their online experiences. TUI Travel, owner of Thomson and First Choice, is fusing its digital and in-store customer experiences so its shops feel like hi-tech, Apple-store type destinations rather than standard travel agencies. Free Wi-Fi and self-service booking laptops will be standard. TUI credited its digital strategy and brand investment for its 21 per cent profit hike in 2012/13.
Lightbulb moment: "The brand story is greater than the brand. People care more about 'what's in it for me' rather than 'what it is'. They also engage much more with stories rather than facts. Simple to say, but it completely changed our marketing strategy."
