Britain's Premier Inn is to launch a multi-million advertising campaign featuring British comedian, Lenny Henry, later this month.

Published: 08 Feb 2008

Britain's Premier Inn is to launch a multi-million advertising campaign featuring British comedian, Lenny Henry, later this month.

The company says the initiative is going to mark the largest-ever media spend by a hotel brand in the UK.

"The new campaign leads Premier Inn's assault to transform the hotel market by uniquely combining high quality rooms and service with a total commitment to both guest satisfaction and value for money," stated Premier Inn.

Following last Summer's announcement to change from its previous Premier Travel Inn name, this campaign signifies the official launch of the Premier Inn brand, and will span TV, print and online (featuring Lenny Henry) plus outdoor executions (focusing on key customer benefits of the brand). It showcases Premier Inn's updated look by depicting typical guest experiences, bringing to life the hotel's key customer benefits of quality, value and scale.

The TV ad shows Lenny Henry on tour with his manager, initially showing apprehension at staying at a Premier Inn, before testing out the quality, comfort and value for himself.

Gerard Tempest, Marketing Director at Premier Inn says: "The campaign is the pinnacle of a massive rebranding exercise that will further cement Premier Inn's position as the leading hotel brand in the UK, setting us apart from competitors in the budget sector - and beyond."

The campaign was created by Premier Inn's newly appointed advertising agency, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe / Y&R, and was built around a creative strategy of using a celebrity to drive consumer engagement with the brand.

Richard Exon, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe / Y&R CEO says the decision to use Lenny Henry was all about personifying the 'down-to-earth' nature of the Premier Inn brand

The media buying strategy will focus on the leisure traveller and an insight into the periods they are known to make their travel and accommodation decisions.

The marketing campaign will run throughout the year with a series of peaks during key 'travel decision-making periods'.