New Unit for Travel Data and Marketing Firm Forward

London-based specialist travel media agency Forward, which is part of veteran Internet company lastminute.com, has launched a new creative production division, which will be integrated with its established Data & Insights and Media Strategy businesses.

The firm, whose clients include tourist boards, airlines, hotel chains and travel related brands such as credit card providers, says it is now 'the only end-to-end operator of its kind in the travel industry.' With an in-depth understanding of the travel industry as part of its iconic parent, the company promises to help clients navigate the evolving market as consumer behaviour changes. Its Data and Insight division benefits from lastminute.com's substantial propriety data, gathered over more than twenty years, and has developed its own audience segmentation solutions.

The new Forward team comprises creatives, digital and video producers and a visual storyteller, supplemented with an external network of filmmakers and video editors. The company says these will work closely with the other two divisions 'so that creative development is informed by robust data and audience understanding [and] campaigns are then executed using real-time insights to determine the most effective channels and formats across lastminute.com properties and external platforms.

'The new creative team is the last piece of the puzzle at Forward,' says Business Director Giacomo Giuriani, 'meaning we can now provide everything a brand needs to run cost-effective advertising campaigns that resonate and deliver in an ever-changing environment. Our new business model celebrates our travel brand DNA but also reflects a broad shift in how brands want to work - fewer silos, more flexibility, and smarter and more efficient creative solutions.'

Forward was founded in 2019 and is online at www.thisisforward.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.