TURKEY OF THE WEEK?

By February 11 2010, 10:57 pm 20 Comments
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You could say January has been a bit of a PR shocker for (Beta).

First we incur the wrath of the swinging mums at mumsnet.

Then Larissa at Campaign awards us Turkey of the Week for our Louise and Jamie ad for Thomas Cook.

“This cheese-fest is practically unwatchable. I first saw this ad -
which stars Jamie and Louise Redknapp enjoying a sunkissed romantic
break – while in the company of some non-advertising friends. It made
me, I’m sorry to say, ashamed of the industry. It’s even worse
considering that competitors such as Thomson are managing to come up
with some decent work.”

But then articles with headlines like this start appearing all over the place….

THOMAS COOK SCORES WITH REDKNAPP FACTOR…THE TIMES.

REDKNAPP ADS BOOST THOMAS COOK SALES…THE GUARDIAN.

THOMAS COOK SALES HELPED BY AD CAMPAIGN…BBC.

THOMAS COOK THANKS JAMIE AND LOUISE AD FOR BOOKINGS SURGE…EVENING STANDARD.

THOMAS COOK SCORES WITH REDKNAPPS AS TRAVEL BOOKINGS SWELL….THE TELEGRAPH.

JAMIE REDKNAPP BOOSTS THOMAS COOK SUMMER HOLIDAY SALES….THE DAILY MAIL.

JAMIE’S HOL IN ONE…..THE SUN.

REDKNAPP AD’S SUNNY RESULT….THE MIRROR.

REDKNAPP FACTOR BOOSTS THOMAS COOK SALES 15%…THE TIMES.

Good to see that the British public enjoy a bit of cheese with their turkey!!![;)]

  • Jeremy Lee

    Putting the Redknapp name in the headline is just a way of making a relatively boring story appear interesting. It’s an old trick.
    Fact is – increased year on year sales was down to the weather, and the ad is still awful.

  • robert campbell

    Hi Jeremy. We think you’re wrong. If anything, bad weather has stopped people buying holidays. Remember, a large slice of Thomas Cook’s sales are through their high street stores and people have been staying at home during the bad weather. However, early evidence does suggest the advertising is punching way above its weight. You’re welcome to come in for a full debrief when we have a complete picture. Sorry you think the ads awful. Don’t you even like the bit when Jamie gets his top off?

  • Jeremy Lee

    Hi Robert. Yes that is possibly the most ludicrous part of the ad – playing golf on the beach with his shirt off. Almost as absurd as the thought that these two go on Thomas Cook hols in the first place. Still if it sells cheap holidays, as you claim, whose to argue. And at least you’ve managed not to offend anyone this time around. Keep up the good work.

  • Chris Dalzell

    I do find the argument over the merit of the ad’s (which for the record I really dislike because I find jamie odious) quite ‘alan sugar’ – one the one hand you have co. that did it saying it is an effective piece of advertising and on the other a creative fellow decrying it’s lack of invention and unusualness. Classic conflict imo.

  • TFitz

    Jeremy, darling, darling boy. Jamie Rednapp playing golf with his shirt off is clearly absurd – you are completely and utterly right. However when the ad comes on I can’t help but momentarily throw off my cyncial ad-lander hat and actively and happily wait, happy as a sandgirl, for the gorgeously absurd moment to arrive. I think that ads that suspend disbelief and use a bit of hyperbolic license are generally more entertaining – from your post it’s as if you dismiss such standard advertising trickery out of hand.

  • redhotpoker

    Q: why do clients not take advertising agencies as seriously as, say, management consultants?

    A: because effective work is knocked too often and work that’s lauded does not always deliver results (just look at Cadbury ….. )

  • http://the-rubber-necker.blogspot.com/

    I’m currently a student of Advertising, and I’m starting to realise that advertising effectiveness is a totally different topic. Advertisers treat their work like art, which although it may be nice, and something to be proud of, and even the reason I decided to study the subject, is not the point of advertising. I’ve seen the advert, and to be honest I hate it, but I’m going to try and make myself a little less ‘odious’ by saying it’s mainly because of Jamie’s inane, gormless voice. But even so, if the sales are up, how can you argue. It’s clearly connected with it’s target audience.

  • jenny cooke

    I’d like to go back to Jeremy’s comment at the top and the message within the blog itself that DOES ITS DAMNEDEST TO DRUM INTO US, IN BLOCK CAPITALS (AND IN BOLD), THAT THE REDKNAPPS HAVE HELPED TO INCREASE THOMAS COOK SALES. Do I sense a hint of a seriously bruised ego here?

    Jeremy quite rightly points out that using the Redknapps is simply a way of making a boring story appear more interesting. That’s the power of celebrities, right? Jeremy’s point, however, becomes all the more interesting in the knowledge that it was Thomas Cook who chose the Redknapps and not the advertising agency. I’ve been informed by a number of people that the advertising agency’s response to using the Redknapps was that it would never happen. So there we have it. Small PR shocker number three (to cordon a phrase).

    All you then have to ask yourself is what would have been better: Accepting you were wrong and writing a blog that heaps praise on Thomas Cook for making a good call or posting a blog that shamelessly attempts to play it off as your own work and worse still, try’s to jump on the bandwagon off its success?

    If what i’m told is true then I wonder what the good people of Thomas Cook think of this…

  • robert campbell

    Hi Jenny. Welcome to our blog. And welcome to Campaignlive. We see you only just signed up today. We’re struggling to understand your post. Go on. Have another go.

  • Danny Walsh

    Thank heavens for campaign’s amazing ‘Turkey of the Week’ initiative! I hadn’t realised that the two holidaymakers were in fact a famous footballer and ‘wag’.

    Imagine how thrilled I was to find out!

    Keep up the good work Campaign, it’s heartwarming to know that someone is standing between creative good and evil in these trying times.

  • Mucho Bellsackio

    Are you sure it’s a Turkey? It looks like a Greece to me.

  • Jayne Marar

    if it’s a turkey, it’s a very hard working one :)

  • Mark Hurst

    Danny, you sound like you’ve been reading Viz.
    Marts, you know it must’ve been CT
    Jayne, has Robert hired you yet?
    Robert, a Turkey these days is a badge of honour, you’re up there with AMV et al.

    Campaign buy their ink by the ton. Good luck to you Sir.

    M

  • Jayne Marar

    Mark, so nice to chat to you, i’ve heard great things about you from the very wonderful Mr Le Blond, who i was lucky enough to work with for a while. Robert has been the gent you know him to be. as far as jobs are concerned, from what i’ve seen it comes down to the following; finances, agency need for more creative hands and the reel/work. currently i’m freelancing, i’d be happy to send you my reel/work if you were interested in having a look, in fact part of it is very similar to another one of your employees :)
    Danny.. you’re funny ;)
    hey G.. come on over, it’s fun over here too!

  • robert campbell

    Thanks Mark. But the last thing I want to be is up there with AMV et al. Did I ever tell you about the night I spent with Iggy Pop in a hotel room in 1978? Breakfast? R.x

  • Soap Box
  • Danny Walsh

    I’d like to know about that night in 1978! Iggy Rocks.

  • Stephen Ward

    Iggy’s great! And he has scruples! He’s never stoop so low as to appear in a commerc…

    …oh.

  • Mucho Bellsackio

    1978? Surely you were but a child.

  • Wibble Wobble

    It seems to be working – so well done Robert and Garry. Is it ground-breaking? Nope (in fact it’s very old-fashioned). Is it worthy of a turkey? Nope (because it’s working). It looks good (that’s it), and the Redknapps are clearly a very hot commodity (it was their decision to appear together in an Ad for Chavs). Not much else going for it from a creative POV, BUT IT’S WORKING. I repeat, IT’S WORKING. Oddly, I’ve only ever seen Jamie once, and that was climbing onto the Eurostar at Waterloo – I doubt he Thomas Cooked it.

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