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The winner of this award will demonstrate the creative use of a range of marketing tools to grow their business and increase consumer awareness.

Any methods in the marketing toolbox can be used: branding, business-to-business, direct mail, media advertising, the internet, PR or a combination of all these techniques.

The important thing is that they will have delivered measurable results. At the heart of this success will be well-researched travel markets and clear monitoring criteria to judge results and fine-tune campaigns as necessary.

The Winners: National Express – Group Travel

The Group Travel campaign was launched for the 2012 season after research suggested that around 30% of leisure visits to locations are in groups of 3+. National Express therefore decided to re-think its position to increase their share of this market. The judges were impressed by the breadth of the campaign and the fact that it has shown substantial returns, with a recall rate of around 65%.

Runners Up: National Express – Senior Coachcard

Following a change of Government policy, a concessionary subsidy for 60+ and disabled customers was going to be cut. In response, National Express launched the Senior Coachcard in late-2011. The card provides customers with 1/3 off all standard fares for a cost of £10 a year. A campaign for renewals and new users continued through 2012 and has proved remarkably successful. The judges felt it was a very positive response to potentially negative external factors.

Commended: Woods Coaches – Holiday Brochure

In the early stages of the 2012 season it was noted that bookings were down on the previous year. Woods Coaches therefore decided to revamp and expand their holiday brochure from a 16 page document to a 48 page glossy catalogue in order to drive sales. Over 250 people attended a special launch event and the feedback was extremely positive. The judges felt the company’s response was commendable, especially the investment in marketing during a challenging period for the industry.

Who can be nominated?

This category was open to coach operators, tourist attractions or other organisations participating in the securing, marketing or promotion of coach services.

… and by whom?

As well as coach operators and suppliers of services to coach operators, we welcome nominations by customers, local authorities and tourist attractions. Where nominations are made by third parties, the nominee will be contacted and asked for additional information. Self-nomination is acceptable.

Criteria and Entry Requirements

The award will be based on the quality of the information supplied. Nominees were asked to:

• Describe the initiative, how it was planned and what targets were set for it.
• State how the initiative was executed, showing the methods used and why
• Give some indication that demand was stimulated and customer access to the product improved
• Supply statistical evidence showing the results of the campaign in terms of patronage, revenue or other appropriate indicators
• State whether the results are likely to be sustainable
• Describe any future plans for further development.
• Supply appropriate examples of the campaign materials that delivered the reported results.