TUI has expanded its Christmas campaign with an illustrated children’s book, ‘Twas the Flight Before Christmas, following the release of its 2023 advert, Happy Holidays.
The book, produced with Leo Burnett, builds upon the storyline introduced last year, exploring one of the greatest unanswered Christmas questions – what happens to the elves after Father Christmas begins his deliveries?
The book takes young readers on an adventure as Santa’s elves swap the snowy landscapes of Lapland for the sunny shores of Spain.
Created by Leo Burnett’s senior creative team, Matt Wood and Tom Loveless, the story transports families to Mallorca, where the elves embark on a TUI holiday filled with cheeky mischief and seaside fun.
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The travel company is making more than 16,000 free copies of ‘Twas the flight before Christmas available through its website and stores. Families can also order limited-edition copies featuring children’s names on the cover from TUI’s website from 3 December.
To promote the book, Leo Burnett is launching social media takeovers featuring animations of the illustrated elves sharing “holiday elfies” from their beach adventures. These visuals are brought to life by Motion Design Director Carmen Perez. There’s also a reprise of the 60-second Happy Holidays advert, which features Ricky Martin’s iconic summer track Livin’ La Vida Loca.
“The story captures the essence of what TUI is all about – creating moments of happiness with loved ones,” said Sara Ali, Director of Brand and Content at TUI UK & Ireland, “We hope families will enjoy following the elves’ sunny escapes as much as they enjoy their own TUI holidays”.
