Peterborough-based travel giant Thomas Cook has continued to make its mark as a key brand name, and that's official. For the third year, it is a Superbrand, making it one of the strongest names in this country.
Thomas Cook has been announced as one of the UK's leading brands in the Top 100 Superbrands 2008 list, hundreds of places ahead of its closest rival in the travel agent and tour operator category.
The company, which is the second largest leisure t
ravel group in the UK with about 19,000 employees, has climbed 11 places, from 83rd to 72nd, in the top 100. In contrast, Thomson, First Choice and Virgin Holidays, for example, have slipped outside the Top 500 this year.
Simon Carter, executive director marketing for Thomas Cook UK and Ireland, confirmed the steady progress of the brand.
He said: "For the past three years, we have been steadily moving up the rankings and are now at our highest ever position in the Top 100. Best of all is the huge and ever-widening gap between ourselves and the next tour operator in the list – we are ahead by nearly 270 places. in fact, in the whole Superbrands survey, no other first place brand beats it second place competitor by that number of positions, showing how head and shoulders our brand is above our competitors."
The announcement follows a robust selection process administered by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA) on behalf of the Superbrands organisation, tapping into the views of a voluntary council of experts and over 1,500 consumers.
Superbrands is a unique initiative from the Superbrands Organisation, the global branding arbiters. In its 12th year, it has become a key annual barometer on the performance of brands across a wide variety of sectors.
Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of the Centre for Brand Analysis and chairman of the Superbrands Council, said: "With crowded markets across a range of sectors, effective branding has never been as important as it is today and will be in the future. A company needs to be able to distinguish itself from its competitors and build a relationship with the consumer. By achieving Superbrand status, Thomas Cook is a shining example of brand that is leading the way in how to do just that."
Mr Carter added: "No doubt our heritage as the world's longest established leisure travel company plays a major part in our success, but we also work hard to maintain our status as one of the most recognised and respected travel brands, not just in the UK but also worldwide.
"One of the reasons our Vote for an Extra Bank Holiday campaign earlier this year proved such a huge success was because the Thomas Cook brand is seen as a consumer champion, and allowed us to engage with the British public in something that strikes a chord with everyone."
The full article contains 491 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
