Virgin is preparing to come back with a bang this September with the launch of two multimillion-pound brand campaigns from Virgin Holidays and Virgin Atlantic.

Creative work for both businesses was consolidated under AMV BBDO in March to deliver greater synergy and improve efficiencies between the two businesses – while retaining a distinctive feel for each brand.

The new Virgin Holidays brand campaign - The World Is Your Playground - encourages customers to view the world with a sense of wonder, playfulness and openness. 

The idea links key Virgin Holidays destinations to popular ‘play’ themes.

This is underpinned by a hero television ad that shows someone riding a vintage muscle car down the Big Sur as if it was a skateboard, while carousel horses glide along the beach in Barbados; and places the Las Vegas strip inside a pinball machine, with giant paper boats in the San Francisco bay.

The new Virgin Atlantic brand campaign is entitled Depart the Everyday, and is an articulation of the superior and iconic experience passengers receive above the clouds.

It is underpinned by a 60” ad that follows passengers escaping the everyday nature of travel - before breaking through into an other-worldly experience above the clouds where the suns always shines and the magic of the onboard experience comes to life.

The cabin crew featured in the Virgin Atlantic advert are real employees you could see on an everyday flight, and were handpicked to star in the commercial following an internal audition process.

The campaigns are rooted in the belief that Virgin allows you to escape the everyday travel and airline category norm and feel amazing.

The creative shows us this magical departure from the ordinary through ‘hyper-real’ fantastical imagery and the adverts share a common character to tie them together.

The adverts will launch during the same ad break of The X Factor on ITV on Saturday September 15th – and a complementary media buying and planning roll out will follow to maximise the overall reach and impact of the campaign across different audience segments.

Virgin Holidays, marketing and customer director, Amber Kirby, commented: “We want to inspire people to move beyond the everyday holiday experience, opening their eyes with a sense of wonder and encouraging them to embrace new experiences around the world. 

“It’s about the sense of possibility and playfulness we bring to people – stimulating a sense of adventure and inspiring you to explore new places. 

“The world is open to you – go grab it, have a one-in-a-lifetime experience, go play.”

Watch the Virgin Atlantic ad below:

Or take a look at the new campaign from Virgin Holidays here: