IRELAND. Leading travel retailer ARI is bringing together colleagues across its global estate in a shared celebration of the people, relationships and experiences that bring its ‘Joy On Your Way’ brand expression to life.
The campaign this week to mark National Day of Joy on 24 June follows three years on from the creation of the ‘Joy On Your Way’ brand platform.
As reported, the retailer is celebrating this week with a striking makeover of The Moodie Davitt Report desktop homepage along with an elegantly curated treatment of our mobile website.
Introduced in 2023 as part of ARI’s strategic brand transformation, Joy On Your Way was created to unite the business around a simple but powerful belief: that meaningful human connection has the power to transform the travel retail experience. Since then, it has become embedded across ARI’s global operations, shaping culture, relationships and approach to creating memorable experiences.
Designed to align colleagues, partners and customers around “a shared belief in the power of human connection”, ‘Joy On Your Way’ established a common framework for how ARI engages people across its business.
Built on the insight that “joy is a universal emotion that transcends cultures and borders”, it continues to shape how the company supports its partners, develops its people and creates memorable experiences for travellers around the world.
Now in its third year, Joy Day has become an important moment in the ARI calendar, celebrating the culture, values and shared purpose that connect teams across multiple countries, cultures and time zones.
ARI CEO Ray Hernan said, “Joy Day is ultimately about recognising the people who bring Joy On Your Way to life every day. Three years on from launching our brand expression, it continues to shape how we work together, how we support our partners and how we create memorable experiences for travellers. The relationships our teams build every day remain central to what makes ARI different.”
This year’s programme features global activations designed to connect colleagues across ARI’s worldwide estate while allowing each location to celebrate in a way that reflects its own people and community.
At the heart of the celebrations is a new hero film featuring ARI’s symbolic red balloon travelling across the world. Passed from colleague to colleague through every ARI location, the balloon represents the joy, connection and shared purpose that unite teams across continents.
As it journeys from one destination to the next, the film highlights the people behind ARI’s business and the global connections that make the organisation unique.
A live ‘Joy Wall’ invites colleagues to share photographs of the people, places and moments that bring them joy, creating a real-time snapshot of the connections that unite ARI around the world.
A Global Playlist curated by colleagues worldwide provides the soundtrack to the celebrations, with each location contributing songs that reflect what joy means to them.
A statement said, “For ARI, Joy Day is more than an internal celebration. It reflects the philosophy behind ‘Joy On Your Way’ and the company’s belief that strong relationships are at the heart of exceptional travel retail experiences.
“Airports are places of anticipation, excitement, reunions and new beginnings. Through ‘Joy On Your Way’, ARI seeks to create experiences that travellers remember long after their journey has ended. Whether through a conversation with a colleague, a personalised recommendation or a moment of unexpected connection, the company believes that how people feel matters as much as what they buy.”
As technology continues to transform the industry, ARI said that human connection remains one of the most powerful ways to create memorable experiences for travellers, build trusted partnerships and differentiate in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
ARI Chief Joy Ambassador Paula Pryor said: “What makes ‘Joy On Your Way’ special is that it belongs to everyone. Over the past three years, colleagues across our business have embraced it in their own unique ways while staying connected through a shared purpose. Joy Day is an opportunity to celebrate those people, those connections and the positive impact they have on each other, our partners and our customers every day.”
The role of Chief Joy Ambassador was introduced alongside the launch of ‘Joy On Your Way’ in 2023, reflecting ARI’s commitment to ensuring the brand expression is lived across every part of the business, from colleague experience and leadership culture to customer and partner engagement.
Throughout the week, ARI is sharing stories, videos and highlights from locations across its global estate, showcasing how ‘Joy On Your Way’ is brought to life around the world and celebrating the people behind it. These will feature on ARI’s social media channels and appear on The Moodie Davitt Report platforms. ✈
