The European division of Spafinder Wellness 365 cranked up the festive cheer, reporting a 100 per cent increase in search engine traffic and sales volume of its gift cards – both in-store and online – thanks to a TV ad campaign in the lead up to Christmas.

The company is one of the first in the sector to invest in TV promotion. “TV advertising isn’t cheap,” John Bevan, CEO Europe for Spafinder, told Spa Opportunities, “but it’s effective and allows close measurement of the ROI.”

Running from 2-24 December, Spafinder’s advert featured on Channel 4 Digital and some Sky channels, such as Sky Living, with media planning by agencies within the OMG Group. It ran in conjunction with localised versions of the campaign in the US and Canada.

Targeting men and women aged 25-55 in the lucrative festive season, the advert also promoted Spafinder’s search engine, which drives consumers to spas within the SpaFinder network.

Bevan revealed the company will definitely repeat the TV venture, but remained tight-lipped over when that would be.