Virgin Airlines Commercial 2011

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Virgin Airlines Commercial 2011

Virgin Atlantic recently launched a 6 million pound global advertisement campaign that is set in a “James bond-esque” theme and has a running head of the phrase “your airline’s either got it or it hasn’t” . The advert was created by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y&R advertisement agency, and has generated widespread adoration from viewers as well as its fair share of negative criticism. The advert itself stands true to the core of advertising which is to sell and or market goods by creating associations between the product or brand and pleasant and desirable circumstances, events or people. In this instance, the commercial seeks to associate flying with virgin Atlantic as a fun and glamorous adventure that will leave the passenger wanting for more. The ad does this by appealing to the three main sensory perceptual channels that are used by man to process information, namely visual, auditory and kinesthetic perception channels.

Visually, the advert itself is stunning, creating a glamorous world that seeks to associate virgin airlines with mysterious and fantastical adventures. The entire advert is full of spectacular scenes from a very vivid imagination. A good example of this can be seen right from the beginning, where a group of four air hostesses dressed up in the red uniforms that are so characteristic of virgin Atlantic, with travelling bags in tow are seem striding majestically towards some unknown destination. One realizes that there is more than meets the eye once one sees a tiny men riding on the travelling bags. One of them slides from the lead hostess’s bag and scampers under her gigantic stiletto heel while she smiles knowingly. The aim here is to create a sense of awe and the possible subliminal message that may be behind this particular scene is that virgin Atlantic towers over the whole airline industry.

The general ambience created by the soft music playing in the background is that of relaxed comfort. The music can be said to have been choreographed to go with the general marching cadence that is prominent throughout the entire 90 seconds video clip. The soundtrack was produced by muse off the song feeling good, and it blends in extremely well with the visual theme.

Kinesthetically, the virgin Atlantic advert is meant to induce a feeling of glamour, awe adventure and a sense of fun. This is seen by the way most of the actors in it are dancing. However, the advert itself is sexually charged, and stops short of being overt about it, although the scene depicting four men dancing in stripper like fashion on giant forks with prawns on them does not seen to be anything but a way of associating sex with virgin Atlantic. The London Mary axe that is seen to pierce the evening sky is phallic in shape, something which some viewers feel was deliberately placed in the ad to further reinforce the sexual innuendo that runs throughout the advert. So strong is the sexual current that flows through the advert that some viewers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority claiming the adverts was sexist and discriminating to women. However, the complaint was thrown out on account of insufficient and inadmissible evidence of the same.

In conclusion, the new virgin airlines commercial has generated a lot of reaction from its users both positive and negative. The advert appeals to the three main perception channels namely visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Visually, the advert is stunning, and the James bond style theme adds an air of class and comfort to the advert. The audio soundtrack is soft and lulling, blending in perfectly with the visual imagery. The main kinesthetic factor that the advert appeals to is sex, as is clearly depicted by the four businessmen pole dancing on giant forks. Generally, the advert can be considered as an advertising success.