Premier Inn Rest Easy Campaign By Leo Burnett

After a seven year absence Lenny Henry has been brought back as the voice of the Premier Inn brand as the hotel chain launches its first integrated campaign since appointing Leo Burnett in 2020.

As the public prepares for a summer staycation boom, the Rest Easy campaign focuses on comfort and certainty, such as Premier’s choice of locations, flexible booking rates, king sized beds and cooked breakfasts.

The work taps 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 - and aims to reconnect the UK’s biggest hotel company with the great British public, targeting both leisure and business travellers.

The campaign includes Premier’s first brand-building TV work for over three years. The 60 second spot, shot in a COVID-secure environment in-between lockdowns, was directed by Ally Pankiw, who has worked as a writer on TV comedy ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and also directed Netflix’s ‘Feel Good’. It tells a range of character stories as they journey from booking to bed and also features some real-life Premier Inn team members. The integrated campaign also includes OOH, social, print and radio.

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, showing how Premier Inn customers can rest easy. 

Leo Burnett also worked with Premier Inn’s internal design team on a full revamp of the Premier Inn visual identity. This ranges from the ‘Rest Easy’ sign-off, which was designed by world-renowned typographer Alison Carmichael, to the bold new expressive type principles that run across the whole campaign to humanise and emphasise the personality of the brand across every customer interaction.

Media agency UM is handling all media planning and buying for Premier Inn. The strategic and data-driven plans are designed to maximise growth and future-proof the business, activating content and connections along the full consumer journey.

The campaign will run initially for twelve months, after which Rest Easy will continue indefinitely.

CREDITS

Client: Premier Inn

Global Customer Director - Tamara Strauss

Senior Brand Marketing Manager - Yasmin Mukhida

Marketing Manager - Lois Wright

Brand Marketing Executive - Faye Andrews

PR lead - Roz Golds

ADVERTISING AGENCY: Leo Burnett

CCO: Chaka Sobhani

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Andrew Long & James Millers

COPYWRITER: Rory Hall

ART DIRECTOR: Steph Ellis

DESIGNER: Jake Arnold

PLANNER: Joe Beveridge

BUSINESS LEAD: Bethany Watts

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Robert Ellen

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Nick Ball

AGENCY PRODUCER: Lou Pegg

MEDIA BUYING AGENCY: UM

MEDIA PLANNER:  Melanie Chan & Shara Brown

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Partizans

DIRECTOR: Ally Pankiw

EDITOR: Elena de Palmer @ The Whitehouose

PRODUCER: Jason Oakley

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Black Kite

AUDIO POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Factory

PHOTOGRAPHER: Liam Ricketts