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Ad agency banks £1.2m with travel account wins

A trio of new travel company contract wins has delivered a £1.2 million boost to advertising agency M3.

The firm has been appointed to support the expansion of Affordable Car Hire, Solos Holidays and Long Travel.

This comes just two months after the agency appointed well-known travel expert John Donnelly, founder of Holiday Hypermarkets, as non-executive director.

The first new win was for Affordable Car Hire, with the agency hired to transform branding to mark its 15th birthday and reflect diversification into motorhomes and motorbikes.

The new star-shaped ‘A’ logo has five points reflecting the five products it sells and its five key pledges: affordability, trust, service, quality and flexibility. A new strapline – ‘Rentals Made Simple’ – has also been introduced.

Solos Holidays moved its media planning business from Media Com, which will also include PPC, acquisition marketing and some tailored creative work.

Tailor-made boutique holidays specialist Long Travel is looking to capitalise on a host of new destinations such as Finland, Iceland and Montenegro by enlisting M3 to implement a combination of online and offline marketing campaigns and SEO optimisation to boost traffic to the website and increase lead generation.

Three ‘Brexit strategies’ have also been discussed and put in place to ensure the company is ready to meet the challenges and explore the opportunities of whatever outcome materialises.

M3 managing director Nick Lovett said: “We’re starting to build a very strong relationship in the travel and leisure sector and that is based on our ability to get under the skin of the business and deliver results pretty much immediately.

“Campaigns we’ve run for Aria Resorts, Co-op Travel, Marston’s Inns and Solmar Villas have really resonated with the sector and we’re delighted to welcome three great travel brands in Affordable Car Hire, Solos Holidays and Long Travel to the family.”

He added: “The appointment of John Donnelly is also really paying off. His influence in the industry is second to none and this, when combined with our advertising, communications and marketing expertise, is proving a very successful formula.”

West Midlands-based M3, now a member of the Institute of Travel & Tourism, employs 35 staff.

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