Back to Trafalgar Square one

This article originally appeared in TravelWeekly Australia

Trafalgar Tours is the best known escorted touring company among the public and agents alike. But this has not translated into being recommended above others, so the company is changing tack, as Justin Wastnage reports

Money can't buy you love, as fans of the Beatles know all too well. It is a message that Trafalgar Tours, the largest escorted touring company in Australia, is apparently taking to heart now, too. <[etk]>
The company commissioned research across some 2500 travel agents in ten countries, of which around 1000 were Australian. It found that three out of every five inquiries from customers for a coach tour end without a specific recommendation from consultants.
Of those inquiries where a recommendation is given, Trafalgar seldom is pushed more than others. Other escorted touring brands (including others from Trafalgar's <[stk -5]>Travel Corporation family of brands)<[etk]> have niches, but among <[stk -4]>generalists, Cosmos is recommended<[etk]> to budget-conscious travellers while Albatross Tours has some caché among those looking for tailor-made tours, the research shows.
This is a problem for Trafalgar, which transports more Australians around Europe than any other operator by far. In fact, its tagline used to boast <[stk -4]>of being the world's favourite coach<[etk]> touring company. Indeed, 95% of agents, when asked to name escorting touring brands, <[stk -4]>named Trafalgar, making it the most<[etk]> recognisable brand. The trend is repeated among the general public, with Trafalgar being the most requested brand by customers.
<[stk -8]>But this is true of repeat customers.<[etk]> First timers tend to be given two or three brochures to mull over. Paul McGrath, the practical managing director at Trafalgar Tours has identified as a problem this lack of brand cut-through, as the jargon has it. He senses that Trafalgar is seen as safe and reliable, but a little boring. There is little to distinguish the brand from others in agents' <[stk -5]>minds, he says. APT, Globus, Insight<[etk]> Vacations and Scenic Tours all get muddied in the middle ground, he says. "We are all pretty much in the same space," he admits.
The company is now back on the offensive, launching a new mini-movie and introducing a new tagline, both of which revolve around the joy of the destination, rather than the journey. The most recent slogan, "Dream, pack and leave… the rest to us" was a step in the right direction, McGrath says, but its replacement is more direct. "Rediscover the romance of travelling" complete with a new heart-shaped logo, will be used across all brochures, advertising and internet marketing next year.
For a while Trafalgar Tours has been uncomfortable with the promotion of its actual modes of transport (which now includes trains and sea ferries in addition to the former Uniworld river cruisers). Just as the more innovative airlines such as Air France and Emirates no longer feature aircraft in their adverts, Trafalgar has realised that luxurious as its coaches are, customers want to reconnect with the places they visit. Travel, as the new mantra goes, is about experiences, not how you got there. McGrath points to the company's Be My Guest options to dine with locals, which have become "wildly popular". This year it has been expanded from Trafalgar's Italian and Spanish itineraries into Ireland, France and even the US. "People want to experience something. We have to position our brand so agents know an experience is part of our offering," he says.
Trafalgar now wants to become the first tour company agents recommend. The company has invested heavily in reaching the agents, through sales staff, promotions and commission drives, but this has not yet reaped dividends. "We need to find a positioning that lifts ourselves into a different space," McGrath says. Trafalgar may now find that money may bring it love, if it is better targeted than before.