Thomson is unveiling its new £5.5million advertising campaign, which aims to highlight how holidays have changed over the last 50 years.

The new Holidays Just Got Better campaign, which has been created by Beattie McGuinness Bungay is set to run until December – breaking away from the more traditional post-Christmas marketing campaign.

Airing during prime-time slots for the next six weeks, the new Thomson advert marks the launch of Thomson’s most integrated marketing campaign ever.

The ad will be supported by a shop window project as well as outdoor, print and online advertising, video on demand, email marketing as well as social media and PR.

A campaign hub holidaysjustgotbetter.co.uk has also been launched to engage customers in Thomson’s new campaign. The fully interactive site will include
Thomson’s new advert, a behind the scenes video of the making of the ad as well as infographics and games.

Jeremy Ellis, Marketing Director at Thomson said: “Our new Holidays Just Got Better campaign aims to differentiate the Thomson brand from other tour operators. As the first UK customer to take delivery of the new Dreamliner, we knew the new aircraft should take primary focus in our new campaign.

“There was also no better way to demonstrate how Thomson is modernising the holiday experience, as the aircraft is set to innovate our holidays and change the way we travel.

“ We are incredibly excited about this campaign as it will be our most integrated yet, using so many different channels including outdoor advertising, for the first time in a number of years.

“We are also thrilled to be involving our shops, through the photomosaic banners, which we hope will create a real buzz on the high street,” he added.

The advert, which made its first appearance on last night on the X Factor on ITV, features the new Dreamliner, reinforcing the message that Thomson is set to be the first UK airline to operate the state of the art aircraft from May next year.

The advert takes an affectionate look back through holidays over the last 50 years using nostalgic videos and snaps from the 1960s through to the modern day.

These retro images of the traditional package holiday are projected onto the surface of the new Dreamliner, creating a striking contrast of the past against the future.

Trevor Beattie, founding partner of Beattie McGuinness Bungay says; “It’s not every day you take delivery of the future of aviation. The Dreamliner is like no other plane and it’s at the heart of Thomson’s beautiful revolution. Holidays and flying to them, will never be the same again. “

To tie into the campaign, Thomson retail stores will feature new ‘photomosaic’ banners in the shop windows. Appearing from Monday 24 September, the banners are made up of 780 individual photos, showing images of hundreds of different holidays, from Thomson’s picture library.