Thomson The Great Baggage Robbery

The Brief

Thomson has recently been voted Britain’s most trusted holiday brand. Operating out of 24 UK airports and flying to over 100 destinations, it has been a market leader since 1974 having an approximate 33% UK market share. All products and brands share the same philosophy - to be Number One - providing customers with the best possible holiday for their money.

The issue of unfair baggage charges has been in and out of the media eye for several years now with changes in security regulations and the usual recourse to small print leading many companies to pass hidden costs on to their customers. Despite this media attention many holidaymakers are unaware of potential charges until it is too late.

Thomson contacted us with the intention both of highlighting this issue and demonstrating that it has both clear pricing and a generous baggage allowance unlike other competitors. They wished us to communicate in a different more direct way with their customers.

The Activity

We planned our operation to coincide with the May holiday weekend and chose to locate our efforts in Gatwick Airport. Our concept was to operate a machine - the Stealth-O-Meter – which would allow holidaymakers to weigh their luggage and discover whether or not they were liable for hidden costs as charged by Thomson’s competition. In addition we would distribute factual leaflets at site (named The Great Baggage Robbery) to enhance understanding of the issue.

Whilst the Stealth-O-Meter was in operation we engaged in demonstrating that Thomson’s main competitor Thomas Cook operated unfeasible baggage limits with the help of two character actors in the roles of “Thomas Crooks” – this pair entertained queuing passengers whilst returning regularly to the subjects we were trying to promote.

The Results

Thousands of holidaymakers were reached and hundreds used the Stealth-O-Meter, with queues forming to try it out. Research on the day showed an increasing awareness of hidden charges and a corresponding increasing dissatisfaction with them. Thomson’s portrayal as a clear and reasonable operator was conveyed not only to the intended audience, but also to competitors with at least one, mindful of continuing adverse publicity, restructuring its charges to correspond with Thomson’s within days of the campaign activity.