ABC Boat Hire•

ABC Boat Hire’s range of narrowboat holidays and short breaks offer customers the opportunity to take to Britain’s tranquil waterways and enjoy a truly relaxed journey through miles of stunning countryside at their own pace.

With a recent surge in interest in staycations and increased traffic to the ABC website and social media channels, the existing 10-year-old promotional video felt out-of-date and in need of a refresh to truly reflect the benefits of a canal boat break.

Additionally, ABC wanted to attract a younger audience and invite bookings from a broader customer base, and it was felt that fresh video content would be the best way to promote the brand and showcase the offering to multiple target demographics.

Working closely with the client to understand the many ingredients that go into making a canal boat holiday, M3 created storyboards for a range of 30 and 60 second videos to best capture and showcase the experience, underpinned by the strapline Adventures by Canal.

Following a recce, Llangollen Canal was chosen as the perfect setting for the video shoot, with aerial filming by drone included to truly showcase the breathtaking scenery, and in particular the awe-inspiring aqueduct. A group of models that fitted the younger target demographic brief were cast in the roles of holidaymakers, to highlight the broad appeal of a narrowboat getaway.

A handpicked selection of settings both on and off the boat were featured to highlight the diversity of the canal holiday experience – from the marina handover, to cruising through stunning countryside and jumping ashore to operate a lock, to tying up near to a pub for relaxed drink with friends.

A polished suite of five videos were delivered to the client, which communicated the key elements of the canal boat holiday experience, and showcased the many adventures a getaway on Britain's waterways provides.

The videos were added to the ABC Boat Hire website and adapted for use across social media as both organic content and paid advertising.