Butlins. Believe in Sparkle.

Butlins. Believe in Sparkle.
A presentation to Butlins
by Libertine.
For us the brief had four main parts.
First we had to communicate the central proposition
that Butlins is a brand that helps hard-working families
rediscover their sparkle.
We had to do it in a way that broke the mould.
We had to create an empathetic and altruistic voice
for Butlins.
And we had to ‘capture the wheel’ that had been so
carefully developed.
Photography.
In our opinion photography is vital. That’s because we
believe that it’s really important that whatever Butlins
does is rooted in reality. If we want our target audience
to believe that Butlins is different to their pre-conceived
ideas then we have to show them what it’s like. Clever
advertising ideas may well appeal intellectually, but
they won’t convince. And advertising that resorts to
analogies may well succeed in making a point, but
we believe that they too lack the ability to change
minds. Also, in our experience a clever idea, or an
inventive analogy, have very little chance of conveying
emotion. And seeing as we are, essentially, talking to
mothers, on the subject of their families, then to
steer clear of emotion, or emotional pull, would be a
missed opportunity.
So we want to show them photography that is
vibrant, fresh, dynamic, modern, quirky, emotive, lifeaffirming, and fun. And, above all else, real. Because
we believe that Butlins is all these things. And we want
observational images that capture moments that
embody the concept of sparkle. We also want a very
simple reaction to the photography. We want people
to look at the pictures, and want to be a part of it. To
want the reality they see to become a reality for their
family. And then, while thinking all this through, we
found certain shots in some test photography that you
had already done, and the whole thing came to life.
Language.
Clearly from what you fed back to us from the last
meeting language is more than important. It is key. We
have to create communication that sounds like the
people we are talking to. And maybe it’s not even a
case of talking ‘to’ them, more one of talking ‘with’
them. So the feel of what we say has to be carefully
judged. As does the content of what we say. Clearly,
again from your brief, we need to say things that
show we empathise with what it’s really like to be a
mum in today’s, all too often, stressed out world. Which
is how we arrived at the following style of writing.
Funny thing is
he hates
having a shower
at home.
Believe in sparkle
Butlins.
It’s a raindrops
on roses
and whiskers
on kittens thing.
Believe in sparkle
Is it bad to want
him occupied
so you can eat in peace?
Oh, come on,
you’re a mum not a saint.
Believe in sparkle
A week from now
you’re going to find sand
in his bed at home.
And you’ll smile.
Believe in sparkle
Dad. Child. Ketchup.
Where else would
that make a perfect
holiday moment?
Believe in sparkle
You know he’s thinking
if I eat this apple I can have
an ice cream later.
But what the hell, you’re
on holiday.
Believe in sparkle
Isn’t it time you
rediscovered the
lost art of
Mummy Dancing?
Believe in sparkle
Sometimes they look at you
in a way that’s so beautiful
it stops your heart.
Crafty little blighters.
Believe in sparkle
One small boy.
Concentrating very hard.
On a show so wonderful
he can’t quite take it all in.
And you wonder
why we love our jobs?
Believe in sparkle
The tone we were looking for in the language was
conversational and empathetic, delivered with a smile
at the corner of the mouth and a twinkle in the eye.
Combine such language with photography that
embodies the concept of sparkle and you start to
develop communication that is both emotive and
enjoyable. And, we would argue, powerful. It’s
communication that will cut through the, all too often,
uninspiring clutter of the sector. You also asked us to
write a few paragraphs of sample copy. But we went a
bit further. We wrote copy for a couple of suggested
brochure spreads. Spreads designed to get the
brochure working harder by, as well as selling holidays,
having it do a brand job of telling the new Butlins story.
makes them even more enjoyable.
break. Which, and let’s be honest here, kind of
shows at Butlins are included in the price of your
like an arm and several legs. That’s why all the
your family to a show can set you back what feels
We also know that in the everyday world taking
enjoyment they’re getting is just the same.
the Builder, or an act as thrilling as Diversity, but the
They might be watching Angelina Ballerina, Bob
their laughter, feel the buzz of their excitement.
We know that because we see their faces, hear
about a live show. But children completely get it.
TV channels is that there’s something magical
world of computer games, dvds, and nine million
You see the thing we can all so easily forget in a
have, always will.
Time to come clean. We love shows at Butlins. Always
The memories
you’ll really
cherish won’t
be the ones
you capture on
your phone.
works for your family.
yours. After all it’s you who knows best what
You see we think that the choice should be
the kids can help make themselves.
fish and chips, excellent burgers and even pizzas
you know they’ll eat. So you’ll find you can get good
sometimes you just want to give your kids what
But we also know that when you’re a parent
you know things are going to taste great.
and this year we’re working with Brian Turner. So
children’s menus devised for us by Annabel Karmel,
chuck in another couple of ingredients. We’ve got
And while we’re on the subject of stir fry let’s
and good for them.
can excite them about food that’s both delicious
your kids watch a stir fry being made by a chef
We even know how a detail as simple as letting
restaurants and in the onsite minimarket.
seasonal food is always available. Both in our
make sure that at every Butlins resort healthy, fresh,
That’s why we’ve made it an absolute priority to
them to do that.
also know just how hard it can sometimes be to get
your children to eat good, healthy food. But we
At Butlins we know just how important it is for
How come a
stir fry’s never
this interesting
at home?
Email.
Next you asked us to look at how the approach we
were advocating would work as email marketing.
Having worked on your business for some time we
know how vital this area is for you. To be honest,
we also know that it is in this nitty, gritty end of a
communication spectrum that campaigns that are
primarily TV led can lose potency. But given that email
is essentially a type of letter addressed personally, via
a computer, to an individual, then a campaign that has
a conversational style at its core has a good chance of
adapting well to the format. To illustrate our point we
produced two emails, one text heavy for a World Cup
discount, and another for a sale where a visual is
more prominent.
HOTELS
ACCOMMODATION
WWE BREAKS
AT LEAST £20 OFF
GET QUOTE
Believe in sparkle
World Cup Special Discount
(They think it’s all over, well it is at midnight).
Dear Mrs Snell
Isn’t the World Cup just a load of blokes kicking a ball about?
Well, to mark the madness, we’re giving you an extra £20 off all 2010 breaks when you book by
midnight tonight.
And there’s up to an extra £50 off all school summer holiday breaks and our WWE SmackDown
break in September. Or, for all June-August breaks, there’s an extra £20 off. As this offer ends at
12pm tonight we should probably suggest you check all the dates and prices soon before the final
whistle blows.
But we won’t because that would be a bit corny.
The team at
C E L E B R AT I N G 75 Y E A R S
1936-2011
Get your FREE 2010
brochure & DVD today
See what’s on
Get a quote
Send me a brochure
Follow us on...
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Offers &
Late Deals
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HOTELS
ACCOMMODATION
WWE BREAKS
Honestly, we know
our sale prices are tiny,
but you don’t
really need binoculars
to see them.
AT LEAST £20 OFF
GET QUOTE
Dear Mrs Snell
You can now save up to half price on
one of our holidays. You can even get
an extra £10 off any 2010 booking. But
you’ll need to get your skates on as this
offer runs out at midnight. Which kind of
makes the offer sound a bit like
Cinderella, but you get what we mean.
Hope to see you soon.
Four night breaks only £52
Save up to half price.Offer ends midnight tonight
Get your FREE
2010 brochure &
DVD today
Send me a brochure
Believe in sparkle
Follow us on...
Facebook
Flickr
Butlins
Blog
Twitter
Offers &
Late Deals
YouTube
Price & promotion.
Next up was price & promotion. We looked at these
in the context of press advertising. Our main thought
when considering what is conventionally done is
that it always tends to the crowded, the cluttered and
the cram-it-all-in approach. Looking at where you
want to take Butlins as a brand, it’s clear that we need
to move away from this. What we realised is that
not only is it aesthetically unappealing to your new
target audience, but it also positions Butlins in the
wrong way. Sell something as an ‘all you can eat’
buffet and your clients will only feel that they have
got value for money if they have eaten as much as
they can. Sell it is as somewhere you can choose from
a wide array of appealing options, and you are
creating a very different image, that will appeal to a
very different audience. So we’ve aimed for work
that is fresh, engaging, clear and uncluttered.
Looks like sorting out
the spare room’s
going to have to wait.
Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd nvjn vieyf dkjfsdfdkf dfdks fdjf
efns dvnuefu webkdfvn; xioh k djfi sernv isd vies nvds iv hsifvna msnfeiuhbv
fdn vjn viey fe fn sdv nuef uw ebkdfvn; xioh k djf iser n visd vie snvd sivhsif vn
amsnfeiuhbv fdn vjnv ie yfe fnsd vnue fu web kdfvn;xioh kdjf ise rnvi s dvi esn
vdsi vhs ifvna ies nvd sivhs ifvn amsnfeiu hbv fd nvjnvi eyf efn sdv n ue fuw
ebkdfvn;xioh kdjfisernv is dvie snvd si vh sifv nam Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs
ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd nvjn vieyf dkjfsdfdkf dfdks fdjf efns dv
Half price
midweek breaks
at Butlins.
Book by midnight Sunday 30 April
BOGNOR REGIS
Silver
Room
MINEHEAD
Shoreline Ocean Hotel
Silver
Hotel Hook’s Mariner
Apartment Cabin Room
Room
£81
£90
£102
Silver Room
Silver Apartment
£54
£60
£111
SKEGNESS
Breakfast and evening meal package
Silver Room
Silver Apartment
Food Court
(Adult)
Premium
(Adult)
Hotels
(Adult)
£72
£75
£36
£48
£54
Butlins.com/mirror 0845 070 4739
Believe in sparkle
Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd nvjn vieyf dkjfsdfdkf dfdks fdjf efns dvnuefu webkdfvn; xioh k djfi sernv isd vies nvds iv hsifvna msnfeiuhbv fdn vjn viey fe fn sdv nuef uw ebkdfvn; xioh k djf iser n visd vie snvd sivhsif vn amsnfeiuhbv fdn vjnv ie yfe fnsd vnue
fu web kdfvn;xioh kdjf ise rnvi s dvi esn vdsi vhs ifvna ies nvd sivhs ifvn amsnfeiu hbv fd nvjnvi eyf efn sdv n ue fuw ebkdfvn;xioh kdjfisernv is dvie snvd si vh sifv nam Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd nvjn vieyf
dkjfsdfdkf dfdks fdjf efns dvnuefu webkdfvn; xioh k djfi sernv isd vies nvds iv hsifvna msnfeiuhbv fdn vjn viey fe fn sdv nuef uw ebkdfvn; xioh k djf iser n visd vie snvd sivhsif vn amsnfeiuhbv fdn vjnv ie yfe fnsd vnue fu web kdfvn;xioh kdjf ise rnvi s dvi esn
Isn’t it wonderful
that puddles don’t
need instructions?
[Early booking
discounts
now available at Butlins.]
Book by midnight Sunday 30 April
Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd nvjn vieyf dkjfsdfdkf dfdks fdjf
efns dvnuefu webkdfvn; xioh k djfi sernv isd vies nvds iv hsifvna msnfeiuhbv
fdn vjn viey fe fn sdv nuef uw ebkdfvn; xioh k djf iser n visd vie snvd sivhsif vn
amsnfeiuhbv fdn vjnv ie yfe fnsd vnue fu web kdfvn;xioh kdjf ise rnvi s dvi esn
vdsi vhs ifvna ies nvd sivhs ifvn amsnfeiu hbv fd nvjnvi eyf efn sdv n ue fuw
ebkdfvn;xioh kdjfisernv is dvie snvd si vh sifv nam Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs
ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd nvjn vieyf dkjfsdfdkf dfdks fdjf efns dv
BOGNOR REGIS
Silver
Room
MINEHEAD
Shoreline Ocean Hotel
Silver
Hook’s Mariner
Apartment Hotel
Cabin Room
Room
£81
£90
£102
Silver Room
Silver Apartment
£54
£60
£111
SKEGNESS
Breakfast and evening meal package
Silver Room
Silver Apartment
Food Court
(Adult)
Premium
(Adult)
Hotels
(Adult)
£72
£75
£36
£48
£54
Butlins.com/mirror 0845 070 4739
Believe in sparkle
Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd nvjn vieyf dkjfsdfdkf dfdks fdjf efns dvnuefu webkdfvn; xioh k djfi sernv isd vies nvds iv hsifvna msnfeiuhbv fdn vjn viey fe fn sdv nuef uw ebkdfvn; xioh k djf iser n visd vie snvd sivhsif vn amsnfeiuhbv fdn vjnv ie yfe fnsd vnue
fu web kdfvn;xioh kdjf ise rnvi s dvi esn vdsi vhs ifvna ies nvd sivhs ifvn amsnfeiu hbv fd nvjnvi eyf efn sdv n ue fuw ebkdfvn;xioh kdjfisernv is dvie snvd si vh sifv nam Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd Toj fise rnvisd viesnv dsivhs ifvnam snfeiuhbv fd nvjn vieyf
dkjfsdfdkf dfdks fdjf efns dvnuefu webkdfvn; xioh k djfi sernv isd vies nvds iv hsifvna msnfeiuhbv fdn vjn viey fe fn sdv nuef uw ebkdfvn; xioh k djf iser n visd vie snvd sivhsif vn amsnfeiuhbv fdn vjnv ie yfe fnsd vnue fu web kdfvn;xioh kdjf ise rnvi s dvi esn
Direct mail.
Another area you asked us to consider was how a
piece of direct mail to existing customers would work.
front cover
If you love them
so much
how come you’re
dreading half term?
Half term sale
three nights for
only £47 per person
We know that half term can drive you half crazy.
Which is why our half term sale might be just
the thing you’re looking for. You can get three
nights away at your favourite Butlins from only
£47 per person. With all the Butlins activities
that you know will have your kids burning off
their energy included in the price. To find out
Half Term from (Fri-Mon)
more visit Butlins.com
BOGNOR REGIS
Silver
Room
MINEHEAD
Shoreline Ocean Hotel
Silver
Hotel Hook’s Mariner
Apartment
Cabin Room
Room
£81
£90
£102
SKEGNESS
inside spread
Silver Room
Silver Apartment
£54
£60
£111
Breakfast and evening meal package
Silver Room
Silver Apartment
Food Court
(Adult)
Premium
(Adult)
Hotels
(Adult)
£72
£75
£36
£48
£54
Butlins.com/mirror 0845 070 4739
Believe in sparkle
Tactical & Radio.
As we were getting fired up by the possibilities in the
brief we then looked at a couple of areas that you
hadn’t specifically asked to be covered, but that we
thought would be well worth considering. The first of
these we describe as ‘tactical’ communications. Our
thought was that when you develop an approach as
f lexible as the one we are proposing, then if an
opportunity, or an idea comes up, as long as it falls
within the overall look, feel and aims of the campaign,
why not seize it?
The second area was radio, which we’ll get to in a
few pages.
Ash cloud?
What ash cloud?
Who says you need to endure the delights of a crowded
airport to fly somewhere wonderful? Not when there are
Butlins resorts at Bognor, Minehead and Skegness. And
flights on our paratrooper rides leaving every few minutes.
Butlins.com/sport
0845 070 4739
Believe in sparkle
We also saw that the tactical ad we’ve mocked up
outside the computer games store ‘GAME’ could easily
be used as an interactive online video banner, which
could feature a selection of footage showing a variety
of physical activities.
banner
Remember when the games kids loved
didn’t involve screens? We do. Click here
Believe in sparkle
We have 27 different activities that need
more than just twiddling thumbs.
Click here to find
out more
Believe in sparkle
drop down
Radio.
We believe that if you are developing a campaign that
features a conversational style of language then, in
many ways, there could be no better medium than
radio. After all, what better way to make our target
audience feel we are talking to them, than by actually
talking to them.
Butlins
Radio concept
Title: Sleep
FVO: You know how it is.
You love going away as a family.
You love doing stuff together.
Without the office ringing,
without having to nag them to do homework,
without having to think up and prepare yet another meal,
you know, just being a family again.
But, just between us, when you’re on holiday with your kids
isn’t one of the best feelings
that moment when they’re finally asleep,
spark out on the beds
because they’ve been having so much fun, doing so much stuff,
during the day.
At which point all I’ll say is that at Butlins there are 57 free, physical activities, from
archery to football to urban dance, included in the price of every break.
Which is something to think about when you’re deciding where to go next.
If you’d like to find out more, visit Butlins.com.
Butlins. Believe in Sparkle.
Butlins
Radio concept
Title: Shift work
FVO: Have you ever noticed how these days
no matter how much you try and share the load
of bringing up your children
parenting has become, essentially, shift work?
You do the dayshift, and your partner,
If they get back in time, does a couple of hours in the evening.
And weekends you split forces and divide up the tasks.
Well, we can’t solve that one, but we can give you a break
from the shift work.
A break where you all do stuff together, as a family.
Stuff you love, like splashing together down a waterslide.
Stuff you’ve never tried, like conquering a climbing wall.
Stuff that’ll make your family, feel like a family.
Now if that sounds good you should give us a call.
We’re Butlins.
You can find out more by visiting Butlins.com
Butlins. Believe in Sparkle.
Butlins
Radio concept
Title: Friends
FVO: Remember when you were young how one of
the best things you did was going on holiday with your friends.
Well now you’ve got kids are things really that different?
I mean wouldn’t it be great to team up with another mum,
whose children you know get on with yours,
and go away somewhere together
where there’s loads for everyone to do?
Well we think so too.
That’s why if you make a few calls and get one family to join you
we’ll take 10% off the price of everyone’s holiday at Butlins.
Or get two families to join you and we’ll take 20% off.
To find out more visit Butlins.com
Butlins. Believe in Sparkle.
For the last of these three radio scripts we’ve taken the
liberty of inventing an offer. Again this wasn’t something
you asked for, but when we came up with the idea we
saw that it rather neatly tackled one of the underlying
problems of getting our new target audience to try
Butlins for the first time. The problem that we’re alluding
to is that reluctant mothers might not seriously consider
Butlins as part of their portfolio of holiday options
because they don’t think that there will be anyone
there ‘like them’. Well, what if we construct an offer
that encourages them to bring along their own
ready-made group of people ‘like them’ by giving such
groups a discount?
Direct Response TV.
In our opinion for TV we need to produce work that
can both promote the Butlins brand message, and
drive sales. Our solution is to develop ten second
commercials, each focusing on a moment of action
that captures the essence of sparkle, add the
empathetic voice we have developed, and also
feature one specific price or promotion offer.
Butlins
TV 10s tactical
Title: Shower
The commercial features ten seconds of real life footage shot at Butlins.
The setting is real, the people are real, and so is the fun that they’re having.
We open on the mini fountains at Butlins.
A young boy repeatedly runs through them, shrieking with excitement as the icy water
hits him. But despite how cold it is, he keeps going back for more.
And who can blame him?
After about five seconds we hear a woman’s voice.
FVO: The funny thing is, he hates having a shower at home.
A super then appears that reads:
SUPER: SAVE 25% PLUS AN EXTRA £25 IF YOU BOOK THIS WEEK.
The Butlins logo and endline appear.
Butlins
TV 10s tactical
Title: Shower
FVO: Funny thing is he
hates having a shower
at home.
Super saving 25%
plus an extra £25 if you book this week
0800 107 0097 butlins.com/
Believe in sparkle
Butlins
TV 10s tactical
Title: Dancing
The commercial features ten seconds of real life footage shot at Butlins.
The setting is real, the people are real, and so is the fun that they’re having.
We open on a mum dancing with her daughter and loads of other kids in the ballroom.
She’s dancing in that awkward, funny, real way that you do when you’re messing
around with your kids and just having a great time.
After about five seconds we hear a woman’s voice-over.
FVO: Isn’t it time you rediscovered the lost art of Mummy Dancing?
A super then appears that reads:
SUPER: BOOK NOW AND YOUR FIRST CHILD GOES FREE.
The Butlins logo and endline appear.
Butlins
TV 10s tactical
Title: Dancing
FVO: Isn’t it time you
rediscovered the lost art
of Mummy Dancing?
Book now
and your first child goes free
0800 107 0097 butlins.com/
Believe in sparkle
Butlins
TV 10s tactical
Title: Carousel
The commercial features ten seconds of real life footage shot at Butlins.
The setting is real, the people are real, and so is the fun they’re having.
We open on a shot of a father and daughter riding together on the carousel.
They are happy and laughing.
The film is short from on the carousel itself so while, in the foreground, we always see
the dad and his daughter, the background is constantly changing showing the skyline
pavilion, the Ocean hotel etc.
After about five seconds we hear a woman’s voice.
FVO: Who says Father’s Day only has to be once a year?
A super then appears that reads:
SUPER: EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNTS NOW AVAILABLE.
The Butlins logo and endline appear.
Butlins
TV 10s tactical
Title: Carousel
FVO: Who says Father’s
Day has to be only once
a year?
Super saving 25%
plus an extra £25 if you book this week
0800 107 0097 butlins.com/
Believe in sparkle
Beliefs.
You also asked us to look at rewriting the set of beliefs
that had been produced. To re-interpret them in the
tone and language that we were proposing for Butlins.
Who ever heard of a holiday company
having a philosophy?
It’s a British thing, isn’t it? Feeling a bit silly expressing your beliefs. But what if you do believe in
stuff? And we do.
Our true intent is all for your delight.
It’s a line Billy Butlin used. It’s from A Midsummer’s Night Dream. But Billy first spotted it on a
fairground organ. It seemed to sum up something fundamental for him. It still does for us.
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside.
Well, who doesn’t? It’s the sand between your toes. The sea air in your lungs. The squawk of a
seagull as he eyes your fish and chips. And, for us, it’s a deckchair thing.
Life’s too short to iron jeans.
We’ve all got too much stuff to do. Too much stuff we feel we have to do. But we think sometimes it’s
important to walk away from it all. To have a break that really is a break. With the people you love
the most.
There’s nothing complicated about a sunset.
Sometimes the most beautiful things are the simplest. Okay, so we can never make organising a
holiday beautiful, but we can make it simple. It’s a small point, but we think it’s an important one.
For us Happy Families is more than just a card game.
We love what we do. I mean what could be better than helping families have a great time?
Footballer? Pop star? Forget it, who wants all that hassle with the paparazzi? And, anyway, there
are some rewards way better than money.
Even when you leave, we want a part of you to stay.
Everyone remembers a great holiday they had as a kid. And every parent of children long since left
home occasionally sit down and say to each with a wistful smile ‘remember when we went to...’
Well, we want your time at Butlins to be that holiday. And we’ll do all that we can to make sure
that it is.
Believe in sparkle
Brand TV.
Re-writing the beliefs, and constantly returning to your
brief with its emphasis on how truly modern companies
now make the effort to state their beliefs ‘clearly and
proudly’ gave us a lot to think about. Stepping back
from it all, if we’re honest, we felt that while the aim is
admirable there are certain difficulties inherent in it.
Fundamentally it comes down to this: for the general
public just how believable is it that a company has
‘beliefs’? We think it is relatively easy for the public to
think a company has, for instance, corporate guidelines,
or that it has aspirations as to how it wants to operate,
but ‘beliefs’ is a far stronger and far more emotive
concept. But then again we also think that just because
something is difficult to achieve doesn’t mean it isn’t
worth pursuing.
At which point we returned to the brief and really
pulled apart and examined the examples you gave of
beliefs from Innocent and Howies. Two factors struck
us as important. First, they are both relatively young
companies. So whatever they state about themselves
comes with no historical ‘baggage’ attached to it.
Second, it’s easy to buy into the beliefs that they
expound because they are being made by the people
who set up the companies. All these factors fed in to
our thoughts when we were devising the following
brand commercial for Butlins. We also saw that
there was a massive opportunity in the fact that next
year is Butlins 75th anniversary. In advertising and
communication terms if you want to make a bold,
confident statement as to who you are, the fact that
you can do so in your 75th year is a gift.
Butlins
TV 40s
Title: Believe
The commercial opens on an old-fashioned bench and shelter at the seaside. In it sits a young
man in 1920s clothes. It’s pouring with rain. We see he’s surveying the scene, deep in thought.
FVO: A long time ago a young man sat
at the seaside as it poured with rain. He watched
families trying, in vain, to find things to do.
And he dreamt of finding a way to help them.
And he did. He opened the first Butlins. Now a
lot has changed over the years.
The action cuts from the rain-swept shelter to a wide shot of the balconies of the Shoreline Hotel.
The sun is shining gloriously.
But we believe one thing hasn’t. We believe
families still need to spend time together.
The camera moves in on a mother, on a balcony, surrounded by her family. It’s a real family, not
the typical advertising notion of perfection.
Away from work, and school, and the electronic cloud that
increasingly engulfs us. We believe it’s important to build a wonky
sandcastle, to career down a water-slide,
to do all that family stuff we forget to make time for.
The family are messing about, just having fun, having one of those moments you want to bottle
and keep forever. The woman always stays at the heart of the shot, and of her family.
And we believe that we should help your
family rediscover it’s... let’s say... sparkle.
So we still believe in Billy’s dream. And we
always will.
We cut to a Butlins logo and as the endline fades up we hear:
Butlins. Believe in Sparkle.
Butlins
TV 40s brand
Title: Believe
C E L E B R AT I N G 75 Y E A R S
1936-2011
Believe in sparkle
0800 222 555
travel agent
Butlins.com
We think this commercial, though seemingly simple
in its construction, works in a multi-layered and
sophisticated way. First it tells a story. And people
like stories. Then it articulates a dream. A dream
that, because it comes from one individual, is
easier to believe in. We also think that because
Billy Butlin’s dream was so explicitly about helping
hard pressed parents, that any parent today would
want him to succeed. And if you can get parents
thinking that, then they are already on your side.
What’s more, the commercial, while acknowledging
that Butlins is a company with a long history, leapfrogs
the period in which certain negative associations
built up, and lands smack bang in the middle of
the new vision and new reality of Butlins. As such, we
think it will work in much the same way as the
successful ‘Hotel Breaks’ film. It challenges, and
changes, people’s pre-conceived ideas about Butlins.
What we also love about the commercial is that
it clearly links Billy Butlin’s original vision to what has
been done today. In fact, we’d argue that if he
were around today he’d be building something as
outstanding and as visionary as the Ocean Hotel .
You challenged us to think radically about how we
communicate what Butlins is about today, and what
it will be about in the future. We believe that we
have thought radically. After all what could be more
radical than telling how Butlins intends to move
ahead into the future than by going back seventy
five years to the moment it all began. A moment, and
allow us a little poetic licence here, that contained the
spark that lead to the sparkle.
PR and Experential
Your brief also asked us how our idea could potentially
extend out into non-advertising communication
channels. We decided to focus all this activity
through a website that we would construct called
believeinsparkle.com. This site would act as a hub
for a variety of activities. It would be where mums
could go to find out the itinerary of The Sparkle
Roadshow – a show that takes a little bit of Butlins
and tours the country giving everyone a taste of
the Butlins experience. It would be where we’d
promote our campaign for an official Family Day.
And it would be where we could publicise specific
PR-worthy events like the creation of the World’s
Biggest Sparkler.
However, we think the idea that best communicates
the spirit of believeinsparkle.com is something as
simple as the Butlins Double Deck Chair. These would
be specially made, Butlins branded double deck
chairs, that go round the country to shopping centres
and parks, along with a professional photographer
providing free family portraits that can be downloaded
from the website. After all what promotion could be
better than a real family, having their own moment of
sparkle, sitting in a deck chair that’s branded Butlins.
Especially if the family then emails that picture to their
family and friends?