Thomson brings out Simon the Ogre to show 'restorative' powers of its holidays

Thomson: rolls out Simon the Ogre campaign
Thomson: rolls out Simon the Ogre campaign

Thomson Holidays, the TUI Travel-owned travel brand, is launching an "epic" marketing campaign demonstrating the importance of taking holidays, in a bid to challenge consumers' perceptions of the travel brand.

The campaign, created by BMB and launching on 27 December, uses motion capture and special effects technology to tell the story of Simon the Ogre.

Simon is a father who has become so ground down by the stresses of life and separated from his family by work that he feels he has grown into a large, hideous, manlike monster.

While on holiday, Simon transforms from his Ogre-like persona in the best version of himself with his family, due to the "restorative" power of Thomson’s holidays, demonstrated in the strapline, "It’s amazing what a Thomson holiday can do".

The ad will debut during the 'Star Wars' film 'Return of the Sith' on ITV2 and 'Home Alone' on E4, supported by digital and outdoor activity.

It will also be hosted on a dedicated microsite for the activity, called Me Again, where consumers can take a holiday test to see how much they need to take a break.

Jeremy Ellis, marketing director at TUI Travel, said: "At Thomson we offer unique and exclusive holiday experiences designed around ‘people like me’ to ensure our customers are able to step away from their busy lifestyles, relax and become the best version of themselves again.

"This is the feeling we were keen to evoke in our new advert. The state of the art advert is a first for Thomson and marks the next step in our modernisation journey which aims to challenge people’s perceptions of the Thomson brand." 

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