Comment by Jeremy Skidmore: Rebranding long overdue
First Choice has set the rebrand ball rolling with the decision to give all its high street shops the same name as the tour operator.
They won’t be the last – how long will it be before the names Lunn Poly and Going Places are consigned to history?
Rebranding has made sense for years – it saves companies money because they only have to use one name on all their promotional literature and advertising and it gives firms one strong brand to promote to customers.
Most people don’t know or care that Bakers Dolphin and Air 2000 are part of First Choice. But they do want to book with a company they perceive to be big and secure. They’re more likely to feel this way if they see a brand name thrust at them at every opportunity.
But the whole rebranding exercise has taken a long time because companies have been worried that they would lose business from rivals if they had the same name for their tour operator and retailer.
The concern was always: would Lunn Poly agree to sell a First Choice holiday when there was a First Choice shop across the road?
Of course the climate has changed and although First Choice are being coy about their relationships with rivals, they have obviously got reassurances that a new paint job is not going to make them the pariahs of the industry.
How Thomas Cook must be wishing the climate had been different a few years ago. They would have loved to have used such a strong name for their tour operator and retailer but didn’t think they could get away with it. Instead they spent millions trying to convince people: ‘don’t just book it, JMC it.’
Although we will see rebranding gather pace, don’t expect it to spread to tour operator brands just yet.
Tour operators need lots of different companies to attract niche markets as well as the bucket-and-spade brigade. Imagine how many 2wentys customers would be lost if the brand was renamed First Choice.
And, frankly, hell is likely to freeze over before Club 18-30 is renamed Thomas Cook Holidays.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent