Virgin Atlantic has launched a campaign showcasing its commitment to inclusive travel for passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The campaign, by the airline’s creative agency of record Lucky Generals, will be shown first on Channel 4 this week, which is also International Week of Deaf People.
The 30-second hero film first appears as a regular ad on Channel 4, including during Gogglebox and First Dates. It was also produced by the broadcaster’s in-house creative team 4Creative.
The ad uses Channel 4’s existing colour schemes and house style with a Channel 4 interpreter. But a few seconds into the apparent VT, the Channel 4 interpreter is joined by a Virgin Atlantic interpreter in full uniform.
The pair begin using BSL without subtitles, making this part of the ad speak directly and only to the deaf community. As the colour changes to the Virgin Atlantic brand's signature red, the rest of the audience is then brought into the conversation with subtitles and a voiceover.
The ad highlights that Virgin Atlantic customers can request BSL-trained crew on their flights for the “best possible experience”.
The spot ends with the airline's tagline: “See the world differently.”
The campaign also includes earned and paid media campaign elements, featuring Jodie Ounsley (Fury from Gladiators) and deaf content creators Hermon and Heroda Berhane, who will test Virgin Atlantic’s inclusive travel experience.
Tom Prendergast and Joe Stamp, creative directors at Lucky Generals, outlined that it wanted to “give everyone a taste of what that feels like” to feel like an “afterthought” as the film “talks directly to the deaf community”.
Chris Braithwaite, customer and commercial leader at Channel 4, said: “After the success of making our advertising more accessible than ever across the Paralympics, we are so proud to partner with Virgin Atlantic to help promote this unique service on flights and use the perfect timing across the International Week of Deaf People.”
Media for the campaign is being managed by PHD, and the supporting PR campaign was devised by creative communications agency, Tin Man.
Annabelle Cordelli, senior vice-president, brand and marketing at Virgin Atlantic, added: “Our cabin crew play a key role in making our customers feel included and empowered, and being able to go that one step further and do this in British Sign Language for customers is hugely rewarding.”
Virgin Atlantic has committed to increasing the subtitled options on its in-flight entertainment from currently 80% of movies and 40% of TV.
This comes alongside the introduction of Virgin Atlantic’s Accessibility Advisory Board, which has been set up to review its processes and products and help shape the development of new offerings. The board will include leaders from across the travel industry who have their own experiences of accessible travel.
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