Lastminute.com repositions as ‘more than a travel retailer’

Lastminute.com is bidding to position itself as more than a travel retailer in its first Europe-wide advertising campaign

Lastminute.com is bidding to position itself as more than a travel retailer in its first Europe-wide advertising campaign.

The campaign, which features the strapline “The Stories Start Here”, will seek to establish the brand as “the ultimate online leisure, entertainment and travel retailer”.

It will run on UK television from April 1 in peak time ITV slots, as well as in print and online advertising campaigns.

Mark Maddock, managing director, UK and Ireland said: “As Europe’s first online travel retailer, we changed the way people bought travel fundamentally and for good. Our ethos was to give people a five star lifestyle for three-star cash.”

“We now see ourselves in the business of creating unforgettable stories, not just of selling holidays,” he added.

According to lastminute.com, as well as selling a holiday every fifteen minutes it now sells:

 > A theatre ticket every 26 seconds
 > A spa break every three minutes
 > Millions of restaurant tables annually

To support the campaign, lastminute.com is also revamping its website, making it simpler, cleaner and easier to use. 

It is also continuing to adapt the website for mobile use and is plotting further moves to develop mobile applications.

The brand’s new positioning follows a restructuring last year that saw former chief executive Ian McCaig depart and Ed Kamm come in as chief operating officer.