Saga Holidays' Campaign Challenges the Perception of Over 50’s Travellers

Today, Saga Holidays will launch its biggest integrated brand campaign for 2023 to support the launch of its new ‘Tailor-Made Travel by Saga’ holidays product. 

Stuart Beamish, group chief customer officer said, “As Saga continues to operate as a champion for people over 50, we are taking this opportunity to bust open the myths associated with our audience. Our aim as a brand and through this advert is to challenge perceptions and to reflect our customers as the experienced individuals they are.”

The ad, called ‘You’re not wrong’, launches with a hero 60-second version featuring actor Nicholas Farrell, who appeared in the brand’s ‘Experience is Everything’ campaign. 

While assumptions may suggest that older people like sedate trips, the advert follows Farrell through a range of adventurous experiences, and, adopting Saga’s witty, British tone, gently pokes fun at and challenges the perceptions of how those over 50 like to travel. 

Farrell begins, knelt respectfully in a Japanese tea ceremony, “Saga Holidays. What springs to mind? Experience tells me you probably think we’re constantly stopping for tea.” As he is handed a tea bowl, which he carefully cups, he says: “It’s not entirely unfair”. 

It goes on: “You think we like just pootling along” as the camera follows him in a fast-moving dune buggy over the sands of Dubai before cutting to Nicholas enjoying a massage in Bali: “You probably think we love regular afternoon lie downs”. 

Next the camera is close-up to Nicholas as he says: “We’re often found in slow moving groups” and as the shot pans out to show he’s sat in a jeep watching a herd of giraffe in Africa: “Well, you’re not wrong”.

Then the viewer joins a South American festival full of music and dancing and a local man holding a large flag. Nicholas follows him, saying: “And more than anything, we love to follow someone holding a flag”.  

Finally, as he enjoys a glass of wine in a stunning vineyard Nicholas, with a lifted eyebrow, comments: “Yes, a holiday with Saga is everything you probably thought it was. And a little bit more.” 

John Constable, CEO of Saga Travel Group, said, “We know there are many incorrect preconceptions about what a Saga holiday is and the people who take them, so we’re setting the record straight.”

“Our customers tell us they want exciting experiences in fascinating destinations. They love adventure, culture, wildlife and beauty, which our new ‘Tailor-Made Travel by Saga’ holidays deliver in spades. We wanted to create a witty juxtaposition between assumption and reality to make that point and we think this new advert with the superb Nicholas Farrell does that brilliantly.”

The 60-second advert was directed by one of the UK's most accomplished comedy and performance directors, Tony Barry and will launch as a roadblock at 9.15pm on February 1st during an ITV Proudly Presents slot in Gordon Ramsay’s new show ‘Next Level Chef’.

There are also 30-second edits of the advert for TV and 10 second edits for social media and digital.  

The integrated campaign was devised by agency of record, VCCP alongside VCCP Media who planned and executed the media buying.

Jim Thornton, executive creative director at VCCP, said, “The gap between the perception of a Saga holiday and the reality is as wide as the Grand Canyon - which, of course, you can visit as part of a Saga Tailor Made Holiday. It has been nothing short of a joy for me and the VCCP team to firmly bury those preconceptions, thanks to the boundless talent and wit of Nicholas Farrell in front of the camera, and Tony Barry behind it.”