Say hello to Touromo. Touromo is a new coach tour brand created in partnership with National Express. Offering high-quality, hassle-free day trips and coach holidays, the business has been formed by bringing together seven existing local operators. But the brand has been built entirely from scratch.

Launched with a comprehensive marketing campaign including TV, print and direct mail, Touromo has a wealth of research, strategic and creative thinking behind it.

It’s this research and creative thinking that makes this an award winner – we won GOLD at The Travel Marketing Awards for this brand launch.

Let us take you back to the start of this journey. It all began with an exhaustive research project covering both qual and quant with customers from the existing coach companies as well as National Express travellers and customers from competitor brands.

We looked at what would make the perfect coach company and built our brand around this using the strong foundation of the existing businesses.

The research project also encompassed whether National Express was the right lead name for the brand. But the results were clear that it was time for a new brand supported by National Express.

The insights gained during the research process have informed every element of the new brand, from the name Touromo itself to the size of the National Express logo in the livery on the side of the coaches.

That’s right, from the logo and the coach livery right through to the luggage tags, we’ve designed and created every aspect of this new brand. The elegant tone of voice has given the brand a relatable personality. While the overall look and feel gives Touromo true stand out in a crowded category, without resorting to garishness or gimmickry.

We set out the visual style for the web platform. But this being a travel category where the brochure still plays a vital role in the purchase journey, we designed literature with a fresh feel to be printed and sent to over 38,000 addresses. Alongside this, a hard-working door drop has been delivered to over a million homes. Simultaneously, print ads will be popping up in over 50 local publications across the country.

Bringing all this activity together is an upbeat 30 second TV ad that captures the spirit of Touromo trips with charm and energy while driving brochure requests and website visits. It airs across commercial stations and addressable formats during the key holiday booking period of January. In combination with a far reaching social media campaign, we’ve created over 90 unique assets to support the brand.

We’re delighted to have worked so closely with the National Express Leisure team on this new brand and its launch. Initial results are positive – web hits increasing over 1000% and the contact centre phone lines quickly lighting up. With such careful planning and creative energy behind it, Touromo is well on its way to becoming a major attraction on the UK coach tour scene.