The new brand positioning, ‘Feel good flying’, is designed to create an emotional connection with Australians and cut through a cluttered market
Virgin Australia is putting the joy back into flying with a charming brand campaign via DDB Sydney, that centres on a very unlikely character.
The campaign delivers the feeling of flying with Virgin Australia launched with the film: ‘Up, Up and Toupee’.
Virgin Australia undertook extensive research on drivers for airline travel within Australia, which informed the development of the campaign. This research revealed the airline needed to re-emphasise the famous Virgin personality and the overall customer experience.
As a result, DDB Sydney and Virgin Australia worked together to determine how best to communicate this customer experience and Virgin personality through the new brand positioning.
Set to Jo Cocker and Jennifer Warnes’ iconic tune ‘Up Where We Belong’, the ad follows Wiggy, the unconventional lead character, as he rediscovers how amazing flying is, and the joy of seeing the big, wide world on his way to the family’s holiday destination.
Brought to life by Revolver/Will O’Rourke’s Gary Freedman and Moving Picture Company, it’s a journey of ease and effortlessness, and most importantly, fun.
Virgin Australia general manager, brand and marketing, Michael Nearhos, says it is a natural fit for the Virgin brand to reach people on an emotional level: “We know our Virgin personality is so widely loved, and we are so proud to hero this through our new brand campaign. Our focus from a customer experience perspective is always on how our famous service and product make people feel, and it’s really important to us to emphasise this in our new brand positioning.”
Says Tara Ford, chief creative officer, DDB Sydney: “In a complicated world, it’s been an absolute pleasure to create something that’s so unique, simple and joyful. Fun but with an edge of cheekiness and irreverence – which is perfect for recapturing and igniting the Virgin Australia brand.”
The integrated TV campaign will be supported by digital, print, out of home, and cinema.