Thomson matchmakes with First Dates for innovative new partnership

15 January 2016

Leading holiday company, Thomson, working with MediaCom Beyond Advertising, has signed a unique partnership deal with popular Channel 4 matchmaking show, First Dates.

The major new partnership includes for the first time; sponsorship across all episodes in 2016, a new shorts series to be released on All 4 later this year, and a programme licence from First Dates production company Twenty Twenty which enables cross-promotional editorial opportunities across Thomson’s customer facing platforms.

The sponsorship is to promote couples and adults only holidays to Thomson Sensimar hotels and resorts at over 14 stylish beach-front locations across the globe. From a luxury spa treatment in Mexico to a candle-lit dinner beside the sea in Mauritius, this exclusive collection has been designed for the ultimate relaxation for partners or friends.

First Dates which is produced by London based production company Twenty Twenty, attracts around 2 million viewers each week, documents the experience of singletons as they go on a blind date, set in the First Dates restaurant. The 12 month sponsorship will run across all episodes of the show in 2016 launching this Friday (15th January 2016) at 10pm.

As part of the sponsorship, every 60 minute episode will include a 15” opener, 5” between commercial breaks and a 10” closer, with each ident repeated on Channel 4 and 4seven. The first 12 episodes will air in the first quarter of the year and the following series later in the autumn.

Each ident features a couple enjoying a romantic break at a Thomson’s Sensimar resort, with the loved-up pair sitting on the beach by a fire as they look out at the beautiful ocean, and includes the tagline “Who knows where the first date will lead? Sensimar, couples hotels by Thomson sponsors First Dates.”

Jeremy Ellis, Marketing Director at TUI UK, commented: “With its strong focus on romantic breaks for couples, Sensimar is the perfect brand fit for First Dates.

”As one the most-loved programmes on TV at the moment, this is an exciting sponsorship which will allow us to showcase our Sensimar offering to our target audience, while demonstrating our on-going commitment to providing adult-only holidays that allow customers to relax and reconnect in a luxurious environment.”

Rob Ramsey, Partnership Leader at Channel 4, added: “This exciting partnership with Thomson and First Dates is driven by our new creative strategy PL4Y which enables us to deliver innovative cross-platform marketing campaigns that offer brands bespoke access to our flagship programming. We’re looking forward to working with Thomson throughout the year as we have fun activating this perfect brand partnership.”    

Andrew Gifford, AV Sponsorship Manager at MediaCom Beyond Advertising said: “First Dates and Sensimar are made for each other and we immediately knew that we had found a fantastic opportunity – not only does it allow Sensimar to be aligned with a great show, but it also gives us the ability to produce some exciting additional content.”  

Martin Haines, Group Commercial Director of Warner Bros. Television Production UK, owners of Twenty Twenty added: “This partnership is a sign of First Dates’ massive popularity and we are delighted to be partnering with Thomson to activate their sponsorship of the show off air.”

First Dates is made by Twenty Twenty Television for Channel 4. Further details on the upcoming All 4 Shorts series in partnership with Thomson will be announced later in the year.

The partnership was brokered by Mediacom Beyond Advertising’s Sponsorship Manager, Andrew Gifford, M.B.A and 4 Sales’ Partnership Account Manager, Adam Denton. Each ident was produced by London-based advertising and PR agency Beattie McGuinness Bungay (BMB).

Notes to Editors

Thomson

Thomson, part of TUI UK & Ireland, is one of the UK’s most well-known holiday brands, delivering unique and modern holiday experiences for its customers every year. 

Flagship properties include; nine Sensatori hotels across Jamaica, Crete, Tenerife, Mexico, Turkey, Egypt, Ibiza and Cyprus – these hotels give customers a luxury holiday experience, featuring world class spas and gourmet dining; Thomson’s Sensimar Resorts, offering stylish hotels in beach front locations exclusively for adults and Thomson’s Family Resorts (Thomson’s Family Life from summer 2016), which have been designed for families with younger children, featuring excellent kids’ clubs giving parents a care-free, relaxing holiday.

Thomson is the sister company of First Choice, both using Thomson Airways to take over 5.2 million people on holiday each year.

TUI UK & Ireland is a member of TUI Group.

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a publicly-owned, commercially-funded, not-for-profit public service broadcaster and has a remit to be innovative, experimental and distinctive. Its public ownership and not-for-profit status ensure all profit generated by its commercial activity is directly reinvested back into the delivery of its public service remit. As a publisher-broadcaster, Channel 4 is also required to commission UK content from the independent production sector and currently works with around 400 creative companies across the UK every year. In addition to the main Channel 4 service, its portfolio includes: E4, More4, Film4, 4Music, 4seven, Channel4.com and digital service All 4.