Club Med has more than doubled its UK media spend allocated to the web in the past year, leading to a 65% growth in web sales.
Online push drives Club Med sales in UK
Club Med has more than doubled its UK media spend allocated to the web in the past year, leading to a 65% growth in web sales.
Announcing its half-year results for October to March 2009, the French all-inclusive operator highlighted its UK performance.
Eighteen thousand Brits took a Club Med holiday over the winter, up from 15,000 last year – an increase of 27% in a market which Club Med estimates as 5% down year on year.
The shift towards online and direct marketing represents a group-wide move following Club Med’s repositioning as an upmarket brand in 2004. However, chief executive Henri Giscard d’Estaing, said: “Now the Club Med brand has been repositioned worldwide, marketing and advertising budgets will be reduced.”
In the UK, he said: “Internet share of the media budget increased from 41% in 2008 to 87% in 2009.” This resulted in a 65% increase in web sales during the winter, with 34% of UK bookings coming online – up from 22% the previous year. Online sales accounted for 13.5% of the total across the entire Club Med business.
Giscard d’Estaing reported current trading in the UK as strong , with summer sales 4% ahead of last year in a market estimated to be 9% down.