Thomson, UK’s biggest tour operator made an announcement last summer in 2017’s advertising campaign that it would be the last to feature as a brand. The full rebrand will be completed by the end of this year.
The last TV advert on X Factor saw Thomson’s being rebranded to Tui, over the next few months. The 20-second advert had a man diving into ‘crystal blue’ water passing the message ‘Thomson is changing to Tui’.
Jeremy Ellis, the marketing director at Tui UK and Ireland confirmed that the foundation of the rebrand has been in place and they are set to become Tui. The transition has to be stated clearly and the customers should know that the company is ready to take the exciting journey.
Variations of the ‘Diving Man’ advert will be used by Tui on its long-haul Dreamliner flights on TV, buses and ‘out of home’ locations. From this week onwards the operator’s 600 high street agencies will start shifting to the Tui brand. Customers have already started seeing the Tui smile logo as a part of the Thompson branding.
Ellis said that Tui was visible in the overseas resorts for three years and it was also visible on the airline livery this summer. However, there were no comments made by Tui on its plans for the First Choice brand.