Feature: Brand profile: Say goodbye to hi-de-hi

Sir Billy Butlin opened his first holiday centre over 70 years ago in a post-depression Britain and sandwiched between two world wars. A born marketer in an age before the phrase had even been coined, he launched a multi-million-pound empire on the fact that Skegness landladies would throw their guests outside between meals.

The story goes that he took over a Skegness turnip field in 1936 and turned it into a holiday camp offering accommodation (with no “turning out”), three meals a day and free entertainment at an affordable price.

He pioneered a great marketing concept – a holiday centre designed for families. Today 1.5 million people annually visit the three Butlins resorts in Minehead, Bognor Regis and the original Skegness. His other legacy has to be the Redcoats which launched the careers of decades of TV favourites from Sir Cliff Richard, Des O’Connor and Jimmy Tarbuck to more recently TV presenter Stephen Mulhern and Steps’ Lisa Scott-Lee, to name but a few.

Imitation may be flattering but it also brings competition and today there are many different companies offering the same concept, so constant innovation is key to the brand’s survival. This innovation is also vital to prevent the brand image from dating – a genuine risk for a brand that has been around for so long. So, Butlins now offers more choice of accommodation from hotel-style rooms and suites to modern apartments. The original resort in Skegness has been redeveloped into pastel-coloured Georgetown-style houses plus a state-of-the-art spa with a 25m pool, sauna, steam room and hydrotherapy pool.

And the first timeshare complex, BlueSkies, was launched at Minehead in 2007 offering guests the chance to buy the most luxurious accommodation ever offered at a Butlins Resort.

The brand has also extended beyond the holiday market, branching out into the corporate arena and has opened the Shoreline Hotel, a dedicated conference centre. With hospitality events, conferencing and team-building activities, Butlins now attracts the likes of Ernst & Young and Thomas Cook to its venues. It is also expanding into large-scale music events and festivals, giving it credibility within the young adult market.

Innovation on its own is not enough and marketing plays a big role as well. Butlins’ promotional strategy is to align itself with companies whose ethos matches its own: fun brands such as Cartoon Network and Toys ‘R’ Us and brands the British love and trust such as Walkers Crisps, Tesco and Cbeebies.

Butlins teamed up with the Barbie brand this year, launching the Barbie Mariposa Fairy School in Easter that toured the resorts offering guests added value through a well respected brand. Co-branded competitions were run through ITV’s Good Morning programme and the Barbie-branded activities in the resorts were promoted through press and PR.

The current promotional tie-up with leading crisp brand Walkers is another classic example of Butlins brand marketing. The Walkers Brit Trips is an initiative to promote British holidays and day trips and links into many of the UK’s most popular holiday activities and destinations. The link with Butlins means that Walkers customers can redeem up to 60 per cent discount on any Butlins break by accumulating points in an online account.

The promotion is running across 850 million packs of Walkers crisps with 250 million also carrying the Butlins logo. The campaign launched in March and can be redeemed up to December this year but already over 500 Butlins Walkers Brit Trips have been redeemed with 65 per cent of bookings from new customers.

Unlike many brands that are looking to trim their ad budgets this year, Butlins plans to increase its above-the-line campaign with 50 per cent more TV, a new move into cinema and radio, increased promotional activity and highly segmented direct marketing campaigns.

By integrating its activity, it also hopes to reach a wider audience through the different promotional media and enforce the message of family holidays through a new strapline that communicates the essence of the Butlins brand – Altogether More Fun.

Although Sir Billy Butlin was born in South Africa, he created a brand that has almost become part of our British heritage, but the challenge for these types of brands is to remain relevant to today’s consumers and, as all brand managers and marketing agencies know, that is tough.

Butlins promotions manager Jessica Vallely sums it up: “Helping to change brand perception through third-party promotional activity is challenging for a brand that has been established for over 70 years. With dedication to constant innovation, investment and improvement to the brand and customer experience Butlins has developed a superb holiday package.”

Brand CV

1936 First Butlins Holiday Park opens in Skegness

2000 Acquired by Bourne Leisure. Major investment in accommodation, facilities and entertainment venues

2001 Live concerts/festivals with stars such as Ronan Keating, Girls Aloud and Sugababes introduced

2004 First spa opens at Skegness

2005 First resort hotel, Shoreline, opens at Bognor Regis

2007 First timeshare development, BlueSkies, opened at Minehead

2009 Spa hotel due to open at Bognor Regis