Premier Inn launches Rest Easy campaign

Premier Inn has announced the launch of its new brand platform, Rest Easy, in its first fully integrated campaign since appointing Leo Burnett as its advertising partner in 2020.

Burnett was appointed to handle all aspects of the Premier Inn brand, from above the line advertising to activation.

Rest Easy will see Sir Lenny Henry return to the group’s advertisements, as the voice of the brand following a several-year hiatus.

Premier Inn said the campaign “marks a major return to brand-building advertising”, as it has not featured on TV screens for three-and-a-half years. It said it also marks major investment and “signifies confidence at a time when many are looking at ways to cut spending”.

To bring the campaign to life, Burnett “looked to highlight the emotional benefit of the true comfort guests get from Premier Inn by tapping into humorous insights and moments we can all relate to like pressure selling tactics when booking a hotel on aggregator sites or the uncertainty when  plans are forced  to change –  something everyone has been familiar with this year”.

At the centre of the campaign is a 60 second TV spot, shot in a Covid-secure environment in-between lockdowns.

Directed by Ally Pankiw, it “tells a range of character stories as they journey from booking to bed”.

Both the TV and radio ads are narrated by Sir Lenny Henry, while the print, social and out-of-home elements build on the character stories and showcase more specific moments and occasions.

Along with the traditional communication elements of the campaign, Burnett and Premier Inn’s internal design team undertook a full revamp of the Premier Inn visual identity. This ranges from the ‘Rest Easy’ sign-off, which was designed by Alison Carmichael.

Tamara Strauss, global customer director, Premier Inn said: “We all love to get away and it’s safe to say that for many people this year the prospect of a holiday can’t come a moment too soon. But a trip away often goes hand-in-hand with a feeling of uncertainty – a hotel lottery with all the middlemen, fake reviews – the risk that plans may change and of taking a punt.  

“Understandably today, these concerns have never been truer which is why trust has risen up people’s agendas. At Premier Inn, we don’t just offer a comfy bed for a great price – we enshrine rest easy every step of the way, including through our enhanced CleanProtect hygiene regime, to help guests stay with confidence and the warm welcome from our teams.”

Chaka Sobhani, CCO at Leo Burnett, said: “Hundreds of thousands of different people pass through Premier Inn’s doors each year, some for leisure, some for business. But despite each customer’s differences, they all come for the same thing: that familiar aaaah feeling. 

“Affordable, dependable and quality-focused, Premier Inn is any creative’s dream, a brand truly for the many not the few and with limitless opportunities for fame.”