Working with agency Seventy7, the company said it went through more than 100 hours of research about the luxury sector, conducted about 30 interviews with customers and trade partners and held three workshops to understand opinions about Carrier.
Managing director Mark Duguid, who joined the business in 2017, said the process had helped Carrier to identify six key brand values, which had now been built into a staff manifesto and shared with suppliers and agents.
“The new brand proposition shows that with everything we do, we go one step beyond. That’s something very powerful to tell agents in a competitive marketplace,” he said.
Having undergone the exercise, Duguid said Carrier will be moving further away from “product-based marketing” to a much more emotion-driven proposition.
“Luxury travel should never be transactional, but can sometimes end up that way – or purely itinerary-based. This is us showing even further that everything we do is truly bespoke,” Duguid told TTG.
Carrier has also expanded its trade team, with Tara Harman joining as sales executive on the road and Alana van der Merwe coming on board as agency sales co-ordinator at head office in Didsbury.
Agents will also be invited to Didsbury “takeovers”, when key luxury hotel groups bring their key staff to Carrier’s office, while top-performing sales consultants will be invited to The Retreat at Soho Farmhouse, a new-concept overnight reward trip in the spring.
“Help to find more customers using our expertise – whether that be via workshops, conferences or sessions with experts – will also be key,” said Duguid.
Elsewhere, Carrier has launched its annual peaks campaign inspired by the new strategy and using the theme of Discover You, highlighting 10 “travelling personalities”, such as Escapist and Gourmet Globetrotter.
Discover You will feature dedicated social media assets and video content for agents’ use. Operating hours have also been extended until February 2.
