That was the message from Jet2holidays head of trade sales Alan Cross at the airline and operator’s VIP agent conference in Leeds on Thursday (24 November) where Jet2 debuted a new Travel Made Simple confidence campaign, which will give agents more tools and avenues to leverage Jet2’s joint marketing provisions.

The operator also unveiled four new "brozines" – brochure-come-magazines – with a greater focus on lifestyle content designed to reignite holiday conversations with clients, some of whom may not have travelled for the best part of two years.

"It’s time to have a serious look at your marketing activity," said Cross. "It’s easy to become complacent. Today may just be the wake up call you needed."

Cross revealed the proportion of Jet2’s business coming from the trade had risen to 31% during the pandemic, testament – he said – to "just how resilient the travel agent has been" during the pandemic.

However, he said the fight had only just begun, adding it was important agents didn’t take their eyes off the ball now with the first true signs of a recovery in sight, and with the peaks selling window just weeks away. "We have all felt the pain, and we must all support each other," he said.

Cross said Travel Made Simple was another example of Jet2 seeking to partner with the trade, a simple, effective and adaptable set of tools designed to help agents reassure their clients, inspire confidence and drive sales during what is traditionally the busiest sales window of the year.

It includes a staff training programme for agents, as well as marketing materials that can be used across email, social media, online and in stores. Jet2 has also created Ask Me Anything badges for agency staff.

"Some travel agents approach to marketing is to open their doors at 9am and close them again at 5pm," said Cross. "Many agents have made themselves less accessible [during Covid]. You now have an opportunity to communicate through a great number of mediums."

Cross said gone were the days of agency bosses being able to delegate marketing to junior or disinterested members of their teams. "Marketing is essential – allocate time to implement it, don’t delegate it to those who don’t know what they’re doing."

Cross also ran through a number of trade marketing maxims, such as the importance of creating coherent campaigns that are tied to a theme, building a brand that goes beyond just a name, and having the confidence to associate their brand with others like Jet2.

"Get out your comfort zone and into your community," Cross urged. "Remind your staff that first and foremost they are sales people, you do the marketing, they do the selling."