Going it alone

Singles are the fastest growing group in the UK and yet single travellers are often penalised by heavy under-occupancy supplements and 81% of this group feel left out because of their single status. The aim of the campaign was to highlight these facts and then to position Solo’s Holidays as the perfect solution.

The campaign was planned to take place in Singles Week in order to give it a more solid hook and the aim was to encourage single people (predominantly those aged 45 – 55) to get the most out of their lives and leisure time by offering them a way to escape on holiday without worrying about additional costs or 'dating issues'.

One of the biggest assets for the campaign was having the flexibility to offer media owners the most appropriate format for coverage in each case. Solo's were also able to provide prize packages, regional research statistics and relevant spokespeople including Life Coach, Mark Watkins. As Solo's Holidays is not yet a universally-known brand, we needed to ensure that as well as securing branding, the campaign allowed Solo's to deliver more extended messages about their holidays. Online activity took the form of both webchats and competitions but in each case the coverage was secured on lifestyle and consumer sites rather than travel sites, as this is where Solo's Holidays wanted to be positioned.

The webchats were hosted at www.webchats.tv and, together with the competitions, were featured on a further 16 sites including Living TV, Lycos, GMTV, Tiscali, 50connect and The Guardian. Extensive radio coverage on 170 stations ensured that messages were delivered to audiences across the whole of the UK and involved stations such as Century 106, Talksport, BBC Humberside, BBC Hereford & Worcester, Saga 106.6 and IRN.