Advertorial press advertising.
Read the ad (opens PDF)
Direct Holidays wanted to talk to people in a more effective, human way, without creating 'just another holiday ad'.
Direct Holidays wanted to reach people who hadn't decided on their holiday yet. So they took out some advertorial space in the national tabloids. Yep, old-school print – with a form and everything.
Using context to inform the ad.
Let's face it, conventional advertising is intrusive. So rather than interrupt the reader's experience, I tried to make the ad fit the context in which it appeared. Instead of the same old ‘bucket and spade’ imagery people might expect from a holiday ad, I wrote these pastiche newspaper horoscopes. This created a more human connection through humour, encouraging people to book and working in all the benefits of doing so with Direct Holidays.
The use of humour worked, as the ads drew a fantastic response. Just shows you what a difference your tone of voice can make.