As brands and advertising agencies continue to get woke, Virgin Atlantic and its new advertising agency Lucky Generals join the fray with “See the World Differently,” a 60-second ad that celebrates non-conformity and diversity in an apparent attempt to corner the market of freaky flyers.
Which strikes me as kind of an odd goal for this, the company’s first new ad campaign in two years, given that the airline is trying to restore its business and return to profitability after the pandemic ravaged the air travel industry.
Am I wrong in thinking this ad leans a little too far into lefty stereotypes at the exclusion of “regular” people who make up the vast majority of air travelers?
Take a look and see what you think.
Below: Virgin Atlantic’s 60-second TV commercial, “See the World Differently,” features a remake of the Gloria Gaynor song, “I Am What I Am” performed by jazz/soul artist Lady Blackbird.
As you might expect, the promotional spin from Virgin Atlantic insists that the campaign is meant to appeal to a broad audience:
“Virgin Atlantic has always championed individuality and in its new campaign, See the World Differently, it’s celebrating the uniqueness of its people and customers.
The new campaign is a colourful celebration of the diversity of the world around us. Of loving every inch of yourself and taking pride in what makes you special. Everyone’s welcome onboard with Virgin Atlantic, and you can be wonderfully, unapologetically yourself.”
While that sounds like a bunch of advertising agency hogwash — and it is, as we will soon see — the airline does have a history of encouraging its employees to be their “true selves” at work. In 2019, founder Richard Branson began issuing pants to female crew members and allowing them to wear flats and go without makeup if they chose, a sharp departure from the red skirts, high heels, and lipstick-and-foundation guidelines that had been part of Virgin’s female cabin crew uniform for decades.
But relaxing the employee dress code is one thing. Filling a 60-second TV commercial to the brim with nontraditional characters like this is quite another — and people are noticing.
Here is a sampling of some of the feedback this ad is generating around the web:
“Being a straight white able bodied male I guess I’m not Virgin Atlantics target audience? And if that’s the case I will take my money elsewhere. 
“
“I don’t relate to many products or brands advertised these days.”
“Just when you thought these massive corporations couldn’t get anymore woke!!!!!”
“Why do they use black skin as a signal to say they are progressive? It doesn’t mean anything. All it is, is reverse racism.”
“It’s crazy to me that these companies are running ads like this. I mean what percentage of their customers can even relate to this shit?”
“I don’t want individuality in ground-crew, I don’t want individuality in cabin-crew, and I certainly don’t want individuality in cockpit-crew. When I travel, I want all of an airline’s employees to adhere to high and consistent standards in all aspects of the service which they provide to me and all passengers…”
Here’s what the Virgin Atlantic “See the World Differently” ad gets wrong
This ad from Virgin Atlantic reminds me of a version of a joke going around the advertising industry. It goes like this:
Airline brand: “Are you sure this ad will help us sell more flights?”
Ad agency: “Flights?”
I can’t be sure whether the intention of this campaign is simply to jump on the “woke” bandwagon or join the cavalcade of brands that are intentionally pushing diversity agendas. But selling airline tickets does seem to be a secondary concern here.
And while the “everyone is welcome” idea is laudable, it does seem at odds with the “See the World Differently” theme as it has been brought to life in this ad, with its peculiar cast of characters — unless, of course, minorities and assorted misfits like these are the “everyone” Virgin Atlantic means.
(I wonder, would the company welcome as enthusiastically similar displays of individuality in, say, a MAGA-hat-wearing grandma or the black conservative video-bloggers Diamond and Silk? I doubt it.)
In the final analysis, this ad, with its exaggerated focus on racial, social, gender, and sexual minorities, appears less a vehicle for selling airline tickets than a loud, proud, and purposeful shot in the culture war.
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The Virgin Atlantic “See the World Differently” commercial: The Cranky Ad Review verdict
Contrary to what so many brands and advertisers seem to think, not everyone today identifies as one of the flamboyant archetypes in this ad (or wants to have them shoved in their faces every commercial break).
By very conspicuously featuring a comprehensive checklist of minority-status people, Virgin has clearly positioned itself as a safe space for politically left-leaning air travelers. The question is, will the company pay a price in the loss of business from the larger public?
As companies like Disney, Netflix, and Bed, Bath & Beyond have recently learned, there is a reason for the saying “Get woke, go broke.” Time will tell if Virgin Atlantic will be rewarded or punished for this campaign, but the early returns don’t look promising.
Cranky Ad Review rating: One diversity-obsessed star out of five. If this ad had communicated a message that truly “welcomed everyone” — rather than focusing so hard on certain favored flavors of minorities — it could have rated much higher.
10/20/22: They just keep doubling down.
https://youtu.be/FOoH8nO_fV0
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The “culture” I’ve come to expect at Virgin Atlantic is of chaotic check-in desks and chronically over-booked flights. Whatever you do, don’t pay for any extras or upgrades until you are actually checking in. Don’t expect them to pay for a hotel when they offer you the choice between a down-grade or a flight tomorrow, either. Their outdated 747s are shabby and uncomfortable and BAs Premium Economy beats them hands down.
Fantastic article, spot on! What is the pilot meant to be at the end anyway? The one who does that intense gaze at the horizon. I am just assuming she’s an attractive hetero woman until told otherwise.
I assumed the woman in the last shot to be either an empowered straight female pilot or a lesbian. Either way, her GRRL POWER is so strong, she apparently doesn’t even need a co-pilot. No wonder the look on her face is so intense!
Thanks for writing.
Wait a sec…my mute button (or remote switch-er-Roo) makes ads irrelevant. ‘Cause it’s on doesn’t mean I watch this junk.
Indeed. Thank God for the mute button. Why are so many advertisers so uninterested in creating advertising that people might enjoy watching?
I loathe this advert for it’s preachiness, pretension and sycophancy to the Woke lobby at the exclusion of other air travelers. This mania for diversity and gender neutrality is ironically, divisive and sinister. Woke is the new rally call of Neo Fascism.
Couldn’t agree more, Zebedee. Thanks for writing and don’t be a stranger.
Has anyone else seen the latest from “Virgin” Atlantic? They will be allowing male pilots to wear skirts!!! Oh well, I guess they are British based company, aren’t they? And this doesn’t affect me as I don’t fly anywhere anymore on any airline. I just stay here in my heavily armed and fortified homestead.
I had to look this one up, Robert. But yes, you’re right. Check out this article and the accompanying photos: 😀
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/09/28/virgin-atlantic-male-pilots-crew-wear-skirts-express-true-identity/
That clinches it for me. This ad campaign is about one thing, and that’s being woke as all get-out.
Thank you for sharing this little gem with us, Robert!
I saw this on that dangerous ultra right-wing, threat to democracy, neo-Nazi/Fascist news network. And no, not that pansy-ass Fox!!
I can’t even imagine why you would possibly care if a pilot wears a skirt, pants or a jumpsuit. I’m much more interested in whether they are qualified, sober, and even-tempered. Time to get over your insecurities.
In my experience, Max, “woke” has never equaled “qualified, sober, and even-tempered.” But I honestly could give a shit what the pilot of my plane wears, so long as he or she is a good, qualified pilot who knows how to fly the plane.
I think that, once again, what a lot of us are reacting to is the over-the-top presentation of this campaign and its PR. It makes Virgin Atlantic and its employees, with their current fixation on what’s in everyone’s pants and under their skirts, look completely unserious — more like a drag show than an airline.
Exactly, Rob. Exactly how many, many of us feel. I could care less myself. And I am as secure as any other man in my “manliness.” I have male genitalia, xy chromosomes, and a fairly high level of testosterone and fully believe that that is how God/nature/whatever you believe intended it. I do not like flaunting or having shit shoved down my throat which exactly what all this is about.
The ad is completely pathetic and misses its intention almost as widely as the obnoxious family in the On the Beach ads. However for me its the freak wearing the eye makeup and strutting around like ‘it’ is something special that mean I’ll never fly Virgin again.
It’s a polarizing ad, I’ll give you that!
Your review says it all. Not to mention the shot of the middle-age blond who looked like she licked up the floor at Home Depot’s fastener department.
As I said in an earlier comment: grotesque. I really can’t help but think that this commercial for Virgin Atlantic is sending a different message than what the company thought it would be sending before they shot the ad.
Yeah, this one reminds me of the time I walked out of a Starbucks because the “barista” (and what the fuck is a barista??!!??) had more metal in his face than my truck. Stuff like this disgusts me. You can express your individualism without mutilating your body. I do it everytime I’m allowed out in public. Grow a real personality.
Agreed, Robert. When writing this review, I found that after just a few viewings, I could no longer bring myself to look at the tongue-studded woman walking through the metal detector or the punk-rock asshole who pulls the face near the end of the commercial. I’m no prude and I consider myself to have a fine sense of humor, but frankly, I find both scenes grotesque and I just have to look away.
Our civilization may be headed for a Mad-Max-style apocalypse where everyone has a shaved head and a face full of metal, but we ain’t there yet.
The shot that stood out to me the most was the male Stew or Crew Member wearing eye glitter. Yeah I agree it’s annoying to be lectured to about diversity once again…but tongue jewelry in a passenger makes me think…oh, maybe there are all these weird people flying this airline because the tickets are cheaper. But a male crew member wearing glitter on his eyes or whatever that was…that makes me think…undisciplined crew. Lack of decorum. Unprofessionalism. And…corporate priorities are focused on the wrong thing. It tells me that while I want to fly with an airline that runs a tight ship and trains personel well…this company is not that. It’s being run by their HR nightmare employees. And for the record…a female crew member wearing eye glitter like that would also make me question the lack of dress code, decorum, and thus training. As a Girl Dad…by the time they got to the last shot of the female pilot who looked completely professional…I was pissed.
Yes, Myles! You’re exactly right. There is a “behind-the-scenes” video put out by Virgin Atlantic (I’ve embedded it in a reply below) that shows the making of this ad, and in it, the CEO blabs on about how it’s the company’s *people* who make the difference (one of the weakest marketing arguments of all time) and how individualism and “being who you are” is such a great asset. Well, it’s not. As you point out, a lack of standards applied consistently across an organization reeks of unprofessionalism and a lack of discipline. I especially love your line about the company “being run by their HR nightmare employees.” I can only imagine what goes on in the Human Resources department at Virgin — the types of complaints they receive, and the hilarious “solutions” and policies that result.
It’s been my experience that when employees are allowed to spend so much of their time and attention focusing on themselves and “showing off their personal style,” their on-the-job performance suffers. They’re just not focused on doing their jobs, and that’s got to be the very *last* thing a traveler wants when flying.
Great comment; thanks for writing!
Myles, here is that behind-the-scenes video I mentioned:
Notice all of the normal-looking people who didn’t make the cut. 😛 This tells me that perhaps the original intent of this ad campaign was indeed to “welcome everyone” — and the person who directed the shoot turned this ad into the woke nightmare that it is.