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Virgin Atlantic Case Study:

Let it Fly 2015 Global Campaign

Cristelle Fornesi
FMSU9AJ - Advertising
Janieann McCracken
March 16, 15

I. Analysis of campaign design


The 2015 global Let it Fly campaign for Virgin Atlantic was just released at the
beginning of the year. Virgin Atlantic partnered with eve&adamDDB to re-position
the brand, focusing on the customers, encouraging them to Let it Fly. The new
television advertisement, titled The Idea takes viewers on an exciting journey
that follows a Virgin Atlantic customer on his way to pitch an idea.
Staying true the Virgin Atlantic brand and reputation, the ad is high-energy,
captivating and spirited. There is a greater focus on the customer in The Idea,
giving viewers a glimpse into how Virgin Atlantic takes care of their customers
and who the Virgin Atlantic customer is.
The Idea advertises the product, Virgin Atlantic, as a high-end, sexy airline for
important and innovative people who are not just looking to get from point A to
point B, but who also desire to see the world, conquering life in the process. The
brand positions itself as the airline you fly when you want to get after life. The
ending tagline in The Idea is life doesnt come to you, so go to it. This tagline
reinforces the brand position that Virgin Atlantic is more than just transportation its inspiration.
In The Idea the audience follows a young man, who has just come up with a
brilliant idea, or as Virgin Atlantic dubs it a game-changing business platform
which could be conceived as Virgin Atlantics overall approach to their brand
position. The ad takes viewers through the process the main character goes
through to look the part, feel the part, and pitch his idea at the mother of all
meetings with confidence. He is successful because he made his idea become a
reality. This mindset: of making things happen and going after life, is what Virgin
Atlantic is promoting with this campaign. Although the message is told through
the storyline of someones journey to pitch an idea, the film captures the spirit
and innovative vision of Virgin Atlantic, the airline that seeks to serve people who
want to make things happen.
The Idea follows the weak theory of advertising, as the campaigns intent is to
build brand recognition and loyalty more than insight immediate action. By using
an indirect address approach, which Sean Brierley states, includes
monologue and dialogue a monologue does not address the consumer directly
but usually represents the thoughts of a person in the ad (Brierley, 137), Virgin
Atlantic aims to inspire their customers, giving them a glimpse of the experience
one receives when they fly Virgin Atlantic. The Let it Fly campaign uses
emotion rather than direct selling to convey the message and provoke an action
from the consumer. The Idea aims to inspire the audience to let it fly and align
themselves with the airline that shares a similar, forward-thinking mindset. The
advertisement does not scream Virgin Atlantic right away, the brand is not
introduced until 0:18 seconds into the ad. The Idea is simply a brand-focused
advertisement; it is not trying to promote any special deals on flights, new
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services or destinations, however it is aiming to reinforce existing attitudes about


the brand. Ludi Koekemoer states that in terms of the weak theory of advertising,
advertising is used as a defense, to retain customers and perhaps increase their
usage (Koekemoer, 79). By using emotional appeals like inspiration and
motivation, the Let it Fly campaign re-positions the Virgin Atlantic brand, and
increases interests and loyalty. The intent of The Idea is to promote what Virgin
Atlantic aims to give its customers which is a luxurious and unique experience.
Other emotional appeals such as humor and sex appeal are central to this
advertisement. The background music of Personal Jesus exemplifies the
intense feeling of power and dominance, planting the admiration of Virgin Atlantic
customers into the minds of audience members. The use of sex appeal has been
common in previous Virgin Atlantic advertisements, including their 25 Years, Still
Red Hot campaign that was released in 2009 when the company celebrated
their 25th year anniversary. This emotional appeal has been an important aspect
to the brand. In The Idea the sex appeal is brought out through the
characteristics of the main character, he is motivated, successful and in-turn
powerful, which commonly translate to desirable, transcending the allusion that
people who fly Virgin Atlantic often encompass the same traits.

II. Analysis of target audience


Although it is evident throughout the entire ad that the main character is a
younger male, beginning his professional influence, the target audience is much
broader than that. The Idea speaks to anyone who strives to be someone in this
world male or female of any age. Obviously, this ad does not appeal to kids or
teenagers, however its inspiration can transcend to a vastly large demographic.
The Idea speaks to men and women in their 20s or older. These people are
either striving to establish themselves professionally or they already have. The
target audience value power, luxury and success. They are go-getters, thrillseekers and life-chasers. They feed off motivation to turn their ideas into realities,
which is why they align themselves with Virgin Atlantic, because the brand
shares the similar vision of wanting to make things happen.
The Virgin Atlantic target demographic falls in the middle to upper middle class
on the social class spectrum. As a high-end airline, customers of Virgin Atlantic
have the means to afford the airfare. In terms of VALS, Virgin Atlantic
customers fall into the category of Innovators. Sean Brierley states, if you are
someone who likes to leave their mark and likes new things all the time, new
gadgets, computers, hi-fis, and new food and drink, you are an
innovator(Brierley, 31). The Idea depicts the journey and mindset of an
Innovator. The main character has ideas and goes after them, therefore the story
appeals to Innovators most. Most of the active and loyal customers would be
classified as Innovators. Strategic Business Insights describes Innovators as,
successful, sophisticated, take-charge people with high self-esteem (Strategic

Business Insights, 2015). Innovators value rewarding experiences they are also
established well enough in their lives to be able to afford most rewarding
experiences. Image is also very important to Innovators as an expression of
taste, independence, and personality (Strategic Business Insights, 2015). The
Idea follows the story of an Innovator as innovators seek challenges and are
motivated by determination. The Let it Fly campaign speaks to Innovators by
centering the message on the attributes and motivations Innovators value.
In order to cater to the Innovator demographic, Virgin Atlantic has devised their
advertising and marketing plan to speak to these people, telling them that Virgin
Atlantic shares the same mindset they do and will go above and beyond to make
their travel experience unique and memorable. Innovators detest anything dull
therefore they value Virgin Atlantics emphasis on giving travelers more than just
the standard flying experience. With bars on the planes, state-of-the-art
entertainment systems available for all their customers, meal services, first class
amenities that include a sleeping pod and reclining chairs with foot rests (Virgin
Atltantic, 2014), Virgin Atlantic is seen to be a posh and stylish airline for rich,
young, beautiful people. There is social value to the Virgin Atlantic brand,
meaning the value of a brand links the purchaser with other users of the brand
on a social level (Yeshin, 173). Ones ego may be boosted after aligning with
Virgin Atlantic and after watching The Idea audience members will feel inspired
to travel like rest of Virgin Atlantic customers.

III. Analysis of the media used


The Let it Fly campaign is currently operating through three main media
vehicles. The first, being the television and Internet ad titled The Idea that has a
run time of 1:20. The second is an interactive web and mobile platform that offers
visitors an engaging consumer experience. The website
www.virginatlantic/letitfly.com acts as a platform for customers to plan their trips
around the world and experience life with Virgin Atlantic. The website allows for
people to have a personal engagement with the brand furthering their interest
and cultivating their loyalty in Virgin Atlantic. Lastly, the Let it Fly campaign is
promoted on social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. This allows
people to stay connected to Virgin Atlantic and up-to-date with their latest offers
and news. People can follow #letitfly to stay connected to the campaign, and
Virgin Atlantic can utilize the hashtag to establish consistency.
According to William Leiss and Jackie Botterill, media have made commercial
messages inescapable (Botterill and Leiss, 97). With the evolution of the media
mix, there are more media vehicles for advertisers to reach audiences with
making it harder for audiences to avoid advertisements. Mixed-media campaigns
are often successful because there are more opportunities for audiences to come
into contact with the brand, building recognition and later, loyalty. Christina
Spurgeon states that, the more flexible a communications system is, the more
flexibility and variation in the types of communication and exchange it can
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support (Spurgeon, 4). Having a television and Internet ad allows people to see,
feel and hear all at once creating a dimensional brand experience. Building an
interactive website gives audiences a reason to look further into what Virgin
Atlantic has to offer, and establishing a strong social media position will allow for
the audience to stay in contact with the brand, following it and noticing
promotional material even when they are not looking for it.
The demographic for this audience, being innovative men and women who are
age in their 20s or older, either building their professional influence or have
already established it are known to be tech-savvy and up-to-date with current
trends and technology. Promoting the Let if Fly campaign on social media and
building an interactive website is a great way to capture the desired audiences
attention, and keep it. Social media allows for consistent interaction with the
brand, and will open doors to carry audience engagement over to the Let it Fly
website and attract more eyes to the ad The Idea. Virgin Atlantic can now build
off the mobile and web platforms and expand their creative marketing tactics,
maintaining their reach in the process. Social media websites are also easily
traceable. By monitoring how many unique visitors and what kind of people are
seeing their promotions as well as interacting with the content (leaving
comments, liking comments) Virgin Atlantic can gain better insights as to if they
are successfully reaching the target demographic or attracting different
demographics all useful information for future marketing campaigns.

IV. Conclusion and predicted outcomes


The Let it Fly campaign is designed to remind Virgin Atlantic customers why
this airline is the premier airline for innovative individuals who want to make
things happen. This campaign has an emotional appeal to the audience rather
than a rational one. However in terms of gaining that desired response from the
audience, we want to instill an emotional and rational response. We want people
to feel but also be persuaded to choose Virgin Atlantic for their next trip. The
audience should think rationally that Virgin Atlantic goes above and beyond to
provide an exceptional travel experience and feel turned-on by the image of
becoming the successful, go-getter customer of Virgin Atlantic.
Yeshin states, the task of advertising must be to offer some point of distinction to
create a separation in the mind of the consumer between the product being
advertised others within the same category (Yeshin, 37). The Idea focuses on
the customer, and his experience flying Virgin Atlantic. Audiences see the
exceptional customer service he is treated to when he gets on that flight,
therefore they will think rationally that Virgin Atlantic offers more than just a way
of transportation and is different from other airlines. Virgin Atlantic offers
relaxation and calamity, but also a party fun. Another fundamental part of the
ad is creating the image of the typical Virgin Atlantic customer. As an innovator,
the main character is driven, and seeks out challenges with determination to beat

them. Virgin Atlantic customers are out in the world making life happen for them.
Who wouldnt want to run with that group? The audience experiences an image
of someone they admire and are inspired by, prompting them to conclude that
aligning with the Virgin Atlantic will help them achieve that image. The Let it Fly
campaign is more about inspiration than profit. Virgin Atlantic positions
themselves as the maverick airline for maverick thinkers and the airline stands
out because of the way they strive to make transportation anything but tedious
and uncomfortable.

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