Holiday company First Choice tries to redefine the ‘lads’ holiday’ in a new campaign.
Created in collaboration with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), the work offers a look into a series of alternative holiday itineraries for traditional party hotspots.
Titled ‘Better Boys Trips’, the campaign is the first for First Choice since it retained Ogilvy PR as its agency.
The marketing drive will be amplified by a series of earned-first activations and an influencer partnership with YouTube star George Clarke.
Nicola Dodd, managing director at Ogilvy PR: “We couldn’t be more excited to see this Better Boys Trip campaign finally out in the wild, the first since First Choice brought us on board.”
“The team spotted a large but largely underrepresented cohort of young men who want to go on holiday with their friends, but feel the types of trips being marketed to them aren’t a match and can in fact be stressful,” she added.
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According to First Choice, the campaign aims to combat the ‘Manflew epidemic’, a new term that addresses the anxieties that come with an all-boys holiday.
Research from the brand showed 81% of men aged 18-35 feel pressured to act more macho and 66% struggle to keep up with excessive partying.
The company has also partnered with indie fashion brand Everpress to release a limited edition ‘lads’ holiday t-shirt. All proceeds will be donated to CALM.
Kevin Nelson, managing director at First Choice, said: “No one should feel pressured into being someone they’re not on holiday, or living up to outdated norms at the expense of their mental health.”
“A lads’ trip should be about fun, friendship, bonding, and making memories. It’s time to call for ‘better boys trips’, holidays that are about choice, authenticity, and having fun on your own terms,” he added.
