Virgin Atlantic is launching a new global multi-channel campaign designed to champion the travel company’s spirit of openness and travelling with a restless energy, shifting the spotlight from who Virgin Atlantic is to where it can take you.
Created by Lucky Generals, “A Rainbow in the Clouds” follows the recent “See the World Differently,” and showcases just a few of the many destinations Virgin Atlantic flies to.
The activity is spearheaded by a new 60” film featuring rare archival audio of American poet, dancer, singer, activist, and scholar Maya Angelou talking about “being a rainbow in the clouds” in a seldom-heard interview.
The words are designed to encapsulate Virgin Atlantic’s spirit of travel and have been coupled with the modernity of American artist Daemon’s ‘Fired Up’ featuring Pastor TL Barrett’s ‘Nobody Knows’.
The film is backed by OOH, press, digital and social and was developed in collaboration with PHD UK and Jellyfish.
As Angelou intones, “I’ve had clouds, but I’ve had so many rainbows”, a sleek Virgin Atlantic plane bursts through the clouds. Customers and crew – full of “Virgin individuality” – stride through airports and into the destinations themselves, although no doubt Daily Telegraph readers will see it as too “woke”.
From spontaneous acts of kindness – a business traveller offering their fan to someone in need – to joyful moments of connection, such as an impressive cricket catch in the sea, the ad is designed to capture how Virgin Atlantic’s crew and customers move through the world with a spirit of generosity, fun and flair.
The OOH, shot by Tom Van Schelven, features the crew as an embodiment of Angelou’s words, the red Vivienne Westwood uniform creating a literal rainbow in the clouds as they stride through New York.
A take-over of London’s Bond Street tube station will bring the work to life where Virgin Atlantic will giving commuters with the opportunity to pack their bags and fly that weekend on a spontaneous trip to New York.
To ensure the people and places that featured in the campaign were represented positively and progressively, Virgin Atlantic and Lucky Generals worked with The Diversity Standards Collective.
Virgin Atlantic senior vice president of global marketing Annabelle Cordelli said: “We are incredibly excited to share the next chapter of our story which showcases what makes Virgin Atlantic different. ‘Be a Rainbow’ captures that distinctive Virgin Atlantic energy and the red spirit of our cabin crew, taking our customers to some of the world’s most desirable destinations.
“Maya Angelou’s distinctive voice and beautiful words resonate with all of us at Virgin Atlantic, her voiceover encapsulates how we see the world differently, encouraging our customers to travel with an open heart and an open mind as they take on the world.”
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