Labbrand helps Thomas Cook, the oldest name in travel, develop a comprehensive local strategy for China.

FROM UK TO CHINA

As the oldest name in travel, Thomas Cook has historically focused on the European tourism markets. In March 2015, Thomas Cook entered into a partnership with leading Chinese investment group Fosun. Together, they look to become the holiday expert in the Chinese travel industry.

However, Chinese travelers are moving away from group tour trips. Instead, travelers in China now seek a more customized and authentic experience. They seek to express themselves through holidays, and explore what the world has to offer. Labbrand was appointed to develop a localization strategy for Thomas Cook with the ambition to achieve big success in China.

THE HOLIDAY YOU BELONG TO

After mapping out the competition, evaluating the brand’s strengths, and analyzing the consumer market and cultural trends of travel in China, Labbrand positioned Thomas Cook as a brand who offers “the holiday you belong to”, targeting people who want to spend a holiday with people they care for and with people who believe in creating memories of happiness and understanding.

We also helped refine the brand strategy for Thomas Cook’s flagship resorts Sunwing – a joyful place for kids and family, and Sunprime – a premium modern environment.

YOUNG AND COOL TRAVEL PIONEER

Among the over 200 Chinese names derived from a wide range of creative direction, we finally chose 托迈酷客 [tuō mài kù kè] for Thomas Cook Group. 托 [tuō] means “support” while 迈 [mài] means “stride”, which not only indicates the travel industry but also brings forward the dynamic brand value. 酷客 [kù kè], the cool guest, pictures the image of modern young Chinese travelers who are eager to explore the world. The naming process was assisted by creative brainstorming, name creation with proprietary software, in-depth screening and selection, legal check, and linguistic check, followed by qualitative market testing.

After Chinese name creation, Labbrand helped to expand Thomas Cook’s local verbal identity with the creation of a Chinese tagline 陪你随心而行 [péi nǐ suí xīn ér xíng] (experience your dream holiday with Thomas Cook), highlighting that Thomas Cook always puts customers at its heart.

With a refined brand positioning strategy, we also created the Chinese names for Sunwing and Sunprime. Sunwing was named 晴乐湾 [qíng lè wān], a “sunny, happy bay”. Sunprime was named 晴览庭 [qíng lǎn tíng], a “bright viewing courtyard”, delivering a sense of premium environment and warmth.

After creating the core verbal assets, we created a localized signature lockup design for Thomas Cook, Sunwing and Sunprime.

EXPERIENCE YOUR HOLIDAY ONLINE

With the offline brand assets established, we help Thomas Cook develop their online presence. We designed a Chinese website complete with localized UX, design and content, as well as developing a social content strategy on Weibo and WeChat.