Leading touring caravan, motorhome and holiday home firm, Salop Leisure, know how important strategic marketing is to their success. That’s why they appointed Positive Advertising to create a new graphic identity, website and marketing campaign – to ensure they stay ahead of the market. To say that the UK holiday market is continuing to undergo a revolution is, shall we say, an understatement. Any company operating in this sector must ensure that their branding and web presence are carefully targeted to today’s more demanding buyers – who expect the same (or superior) levels of comfort on holiday as they enjoy at home. Frankly, if you’re still aiming for the Captain Scott ‘pluck and hair-shirt’ market – you’ll go under.
The caravan and holiday home market used to be undemanding. Hardy souls would buy a green box with no mod-cons and find a friendly farmer, with a bit of space between the barn and slurry pit, to park it. The ‘van’ would keep out most of the weather, but none of the local wildlife. Electricity was not even an option. A family of eight would be fed from a two-ring gas hob and evenings would be spent playing Cluedo under the dim, hiss-and-reek of gas mantle lights – which at least masked some of the stench from the uncomfortably close chemical toilet.
Then we all went collectively soft. Today, standard features include double glazing, central heating, showers, fully-fitted kitchens, double bedrooms with en-suite facilities, plasma TV and Wi-Fi.
Forget the slurry pit! People expect Capability Brown landscaped gardens, a panorama of pristine beaches, dramatic seascapes and mountains. They want the convenience of on-site shops, clubs, entertainment, heated indoor swimming pools, gym and sauna. Even campers no longer expect to rough it. Clean, heated toilet and shower blocks, laundrettes and even mains power hook-ups for tents are now routinely provided. The days of the hole-in-the-ground toilet, and washing from a standpipe in the middle of a field, are long gone.
Our experience, and research in this sector, revealed a younger, more aspirational, market for caravan holiday homes, luxury lodges, touring caravans and motorhomes – but they are a more demanding segment than old-school owners. Manufacturers and park owners are already responding to this changing clientele by creating innovative new products and leisure solutions. The leading retailers must do the same.
Marketing to a younger, more affluent and demanding, staycation generation is a real challenge. They are more likely to respond to a lifestyle approach of ’selling the dream’, so we put the dream centre stage with our ‘Go Explore!’ theme. Stylistically, Go Explore!’ is about bold images, clean layouts and accompanying aspirational copy. The idea is to inspire people to discover the magnificence of the countryside – from the historic Heart of England to the sparse and remote Mid Wales landscapes and the dramatic, safe sandy Mid Wales coast.
All marketing activities were re-aligned to work together and deliver clear messages:
- Lifestyle
- Freedom
- Flexible Breaks
- A simplified ‘Road to Ownership’ and Finance
The tools we chose covered the full range of traditional marketing techniques and all the powerful new online tools. Central to the whole effort is a new website. A clean, and clear, Go Explore! themed design with a powerful suite of back office utilities – designed to help Salop Leisure gather information and stay in touch with their customers.
The website, www.salopleisure.co.uk keeps all the critical content above the fold. Copy is set to a fairly consistent word count and is keyword loaded – but not packed. Naturally our SEO consultants have checked the structure and content to maximise organic search engine ranking. Most of the necessary information is loaded onto specially shot video. This keeps the word count down, maximises user interest and adds a level of interactivity that Google loves so much.
The front end is deliberately not over-designed. However, there are powerful search engines for people to locate used touring caravans, motorhomes and caravan holiday homes. There is a search facility to help people find a holiday home park that matches their needs exactly – from the Heart of England to Mid Wales Inland and Coastal.
Pristine beaches, dramatic seascapes and mountains, slurry pit – it’s all down to individual choice.
