Thomson

By • Kelly U1435976• Kunbi U1439375 • Margaret U1325327 • Sophie U1403382

Introduction

• Explore the holiday company Thomson and their target audience.

• Evaluate their positioning and what they represent

• Discuss and conclude if becoming a sponsor would be beneficial to the company

About Thomson

• Thomson have been around since 1965

• They deliver holidays to the English and Irish market

• Are part of TUI, the worlds largest travel group.

• Tailored for multiple audiences categorised into a collection of 11 • Cruises

• Flights

• New Long Haul Destinations

thomson.co.uk (2015)

Target Market• Thomson

advertisement, Facebook and Instagram posts mainly target couples and families.

• In their collections section, they have stated that “they’ve created getaways especially for families and couples"

Thomson.co.uk (2015)

New Audience • “The new brand replaces its

current youth brand 2wentys and is aimed at aspirational 20-30-year old professionals that have their first job and “money in their pocket””.

• TUI UK managing Director David Burling says: “We want to make sure the Thomson brand resonates through all life stages from cradle to grave for our customers and we’re not that represented in the 18-35 year old market.”

www.marketingweek.com (2014)

Thomson’s Positioning

Lovelock and Wirtz, (2011)

General Benefits Of A Sponsorship Agreement

• Increase awareness

• Image Enhancement

• Product trial or sales opportunities

• Hospitality Opportunities

McDonnell and Moir (2014)

Who would Thomson Want To Sponsor And Why?

• Get ahead of their competitors e.g. Thomas Cook

• Sponsee with similar target audience

• “Braggies”- Taking pictures abroad

• GoPro intentionally made for sporting activities promoting travel

wtmlondon.com (2014)

Other Potential Sponsees to Consider

• This Morning

• Weather reports

• Competitions for holidays complimentary of Thomson

itv.com/thismorning (2011)

• Ministry of Sound

• Club / Party scene

• 18-30 year olds

• Gateway for holidays to Ibiza, Ayia Napa, Malia, Magaluf

Venues in London

ministryofsound.com (2015)

Conclusion • Thomson are already well established among travel

agencies

• Sponsoring venues may detract from their key demographic

• TV show This Morning targets more of the same audience.

• Sponsoring GoPro targets a range of differentiated market segments which are likely to already have an interest in travel, giving Thomson the maximum potential.

Reference List

•British Airways . 2015. Home Page . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/home/public/en_gb. [Accessed 21 March 15].

•Cosmos . 2015. Home Page . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cosmos.co.uk/. [Accessed 21 March 15].

• Free TV Competitions. 2011. This Morning ITV Free Competition Win Barbados Holiday & £25,000 off your Rent or Mortgage [Online] Available at: http://www.freetvcompetitions.com/2011/09/26/monday-260911-this-morning-itv-free-competition-win-barbados-holiday-25000-off-your-rent-or-mortgage-ends-7th-october-2011/ [Accessed 16 March 15]

• GoPro . 2015. Shop By Activity. [Online] Available at: http://shop.gopro.com/EMEA/shopbyactivity/[Accessed 16 March 15].

•Go Travel. 2015. Welcome to Go Travel. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.gotravel.uk.com/. [Accessed 21 March 15].

•ITV This Morning. 2015. Competitions. [Online] Available at: http://www.itv.com/thismorning/competitions [Accessed 16 March 15].

•Jet2holidays. 2015. Package Holidays You Can Trust. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.jet2holidays.com/. [Accessed 21 March 15].

• Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Harris, L. and Piercy, N.F.(2013) Principles of Marketing, 6th European edn.Harlow: Pearson.

•KUONI. 2015. Find Your Amazing . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.kuoni.co.uk/. [Accessed 21 March 15].

•Lovelock, C. and Wirtz, J. (2011) Services Marketing,7th Global edn, Harlow: Pearson.

References List• Marketing Week. 2014. Thomson launches new brand aimed at stylish youth. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.marketingweek.com/2014/09/22/thomson-launches-new-brand-aimed-at-stylish-youth/. [Accessed 16 March 15].

• McDonnell, I & Moir, M, 2014. Event Sponsorship. 1st ed. London & New York: Routledge.

• Ministry of Sound. 2015. Society. [Online] Available at: http://www.ministryofsound.com/students#ivQ3gVDYI75dvp7i.97 [Accessed 13th March 2015]

• The Co-operative Travel. 2015. Home Page . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.co-operativetravel.co.uk/. [Accessed 21 March 15].

• Thomson . 2015. Exclusive Holiday Collections Designed For You, By Thomson. [Online] Available at: http://www.thomson.co.uk/holidays/?vlid=thmp272 [Accessed 16 March 15].

• Thomson. 2015. Scene. [Online] Available at: http://www.thomson.co.uk/holidays/scene [Accessed 13th March 2015]

• Virgin Holidays. 2015.Home Page. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.virginholidays.co.uk/. [Accessed 21 March 15].

• World Travel Market. 2014. Hotel Chains Recognise Benefit of Guests' Social Media, [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.wtmlondon.com/press/Hotel-Chains-Recognise-Benefit-of-Guests-Social-Media. [Accessed 16 March 15].

• Youtube . 2014. NEW Thomson advert ‘A film about a smile’ (Bohemian Rhapsody) - Extended Version. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kMlGymb8jY. [Accessed 21 March 15].

• Youtube . 2014. Thomson Scene - Chilled days, lively nights | Extended version. [ONLINE] Available at:https://youtu.be/baYLhG9ZPl8. [Accessed 21 March 15].