Thomas Cook fixes on direct response

Thomas Cook is shifting more of its promotional budget into direct response campaigns and is looking to appoint its first integrated agency.

The decision is part of a strategy to track sales that are generated by its shops or ads, but booked through channels such as its call centres and thomascook.com.

Thomas Cook is seeking an agency to provide a creative approach that will work across a number of channels, rather than focusing its spend on traditional brand advertising as it has in the past.

The company is planning an £8m integrated campaign that will run over the first quarter of 2005.

Activity will include Thomas Cook's usual TV, radio, press and poster advertising, as well as response-driven promotion including mailings and digital marketing.

The agency search follows the company's decision to shift its UK business' strategic and marketing department to the group's head-quarters in Germany.

Four integrated agencies are involved in the pitch process, which is being handled by online intermediary service creativebrief.