Thomson shops begin rebranding
Thomson will this week begin the process of changing the name of more than 600 of its stores to TUI.
It also launched a new TV ad during ITV’s flagship X Factor programme to herald the name change.
The advert shows a man diving into water with the simple message: ‘Thomson is changing to TUI.’
The company said that the 20-second ad was ‘at the heart of a wide scale communications offensive that will cement the name TUI in the minds of the British public’.
The company announced in December 2016 that its summer 2017 marketing campaign ‘moments’ would be the last under the Thomson brand name, paving the way for a full re-brand by the end of the year.
Jeremy Ellis, marketing director at TUI UK and Ireland, said: "The foundations for our re-brand are firmly in place and we are primed ready to become TUI.
"We want to ensure our customers are ready to take this exciting journey with us so it’s really important that we communicate the transition clearly."
He said the campaign has been ongoing since May, reaching five million customers, and a special issue of its Discovery magazine has been sent to 1.5 million people.
"Customers are already used to seeing the TUI smile logo as it has been an integral part of Thomson branding for some time," added Ellis. "TUI has also been visible in our overseas resorts for three years and on our airline livery this summer."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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