Turn-of-year TV adverts: This peak season’s raft of travel commercials are a mix of the inspired, the
How do travel Y
ou might be forgiven these days – particularly with subscription TV, algorithms selecting
content for you to watch, and the sheer plethora of channels available now – for thinking that advertising on television isn’t what it used to be. Back in the day, an advert on
television could enjoy phenomenal reach, seen by literally millions of viewers, even with the most mediocre standards of production. Although that isn’t quite the case today, it doesn’t make TV advertising any less appealing for building a travel brand or reinforcing a company’s profile in the marketplace. The key ingredients of great
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advertising are to catch the attention of the viewer and to have a message that resonates with the audience in an inspirational way. But, crucially in this age of short attention spans, it has to leave the viewer with a strong and compelling call to action. For most of this year’s offerings from the industry, those key ingredients have been followed, if to varying degrees. Steve Dunne is chief executive of marketing agency Digital Drums
‘HOLIDA P&O CRUISES
Y LIKE NEVER BEFORE’
If there is a standout holiday TV advertisement this season, the award has to go to P&O Cruises and its “Holiday Like Never Before” offering. From the music bed of the classic Bobby Darin tune Beyond the
Sea which jauntily plays throughout, giving a simultaneous feeling of happiness, excitement and a certain exotic feeling of sun-drenched beaches and islands, through to the stunning cinematography that gives an almost three-dimensional feel to everything from activities to shows to dining experiences, this advert sets the bar for the industry. The brand is strongly represented, from the opening shot of the logo to
the screen-filling view of the ship with its Union Jack imagery on the bow. “If a holiday is a movie then P&O is a box set” is a brilliant line in the advert, positioning a cruise experience with the brand as something more than an ordinary holiday. The whole advert is eye-catching, attention grabbing, memorable and inspiring. It ticks every box, and then some.
‘BOOKING GENIUSES’ ON THE BEACH
This year’s offering from On the Beach is quite clever in its simplicity. Sticking with the OTA’s now familiar signature tune of the Andy Williams song It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Y
ear, it features a family dressed in brightly coloured
holiday attire heading off for a sun-filled vacation, giving the advert a warm, upbeat feel to viewers tired of a British winter. The song is instantly memorable and is the sort of tune people will sing long after the advert has passed. And the viewer will almost certainly sing the brand name too – a winning combination for a marketer. The commentary of Paddy McGuinness, another familiar voice, extolling the virtues of “book like a genius” and getting airport lounge access, is a differentiator that may place the brand ahead of rivals in the view of the audience. From a brand-building, product appeal and instant recall point of view, this is a winner.
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‘HAPPY HOLIDA TUI
YS’
For anyone who has ever wondered what Santa’s elves do once they clock off for Christmas, Tui provided the answer in an advert that ran on TV screens in the run-up to the big day. Set to the high-octane music bed of Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca, the advert shows Santa thanking the elves for their work and riding off over the moon. The minute he disappears, the elves hit the holidays, taking off on a Tui jet for the sun. Enjoying all the traditional activities of a Tui holiday, from swimming pools, sun beds and beach volleyball to snorkelling, windsurfing and yoga classes, the elves have a ball as they embrace the Tui strapline of “Live Happy”. It is less a traditional turn-of-year sales advert and more
of a corporate Christmas card to the viewer, but it’s a lovely bit of fun that makes one smile and injects the feelgood factor of taking a holiday into every viewer.
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12
4 JANUARY 2024
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Steve Dunlop
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