First Choice Holidays has moved outside its original shortlist to
award its pounds 3 million advertising account to Walsh Trott Chick
Smith.
Walsh Trott beat the incumbent, Ogilvy & Mather, and Leagas Shaffron to
the business, after arriving late on to the final shortlist following J.
Walter Thompson’s decision to pull out three weeks ago. DMB&B also
withdrew last Friday, citing a ’lack of communication’ between itself
and the company.
The tour operator’s marketing and communications manager, Virginia Dick,
explained her decision to appoint Walsh Trott. ’We were looking for
branding and communications and Walsh Trott presented the strongest
communications strategy,’ she said.
Walsh Trott will roll out a branding campaign for First Choice
immediately after Christmas, focusing on TV and posters. ’It is very
easy to sell holidays, but quite different selling brands,’ Dragana
Hartley, the senior account director at Walsh Trott, said.
’The tour operators’ market is characteristically driven by price
adjusting.
We are producing a branding idea that will mark out First Choice from
the TV ads to the travel agencies’ windows - long enough for the
customer to go to the rack and pick up a brochure.’
The campaign marks First Choice’s return to above-the-line advertising,
although it has kept in the public eye with its sponsorship of LWT and
Granada weather forecasts, which will continue until next summer. Media
continues to be handled by Media Insight.
