Virgin+puppies=strategic and effective marketing

June 1,2015

Virgin’s quirky marketing style has always been miles high above the rest. They’re brilliant at marketing because their brand voice is strong in everything they do. It’s right there in their irreverent name, the personable tone of their copywriting, through to their signage and service.

Even their April Fools jokes are on brand.

This year hundreds of pet lovers were taken in by Virgin Australia’s announcement they were opening a dedicated lounge for their pet passengers.

With tailored entertainment options, pre-flight grooming service, park-like domain for pets to play and gourmet treats designed by celebrity chef Luke Mangan (a la cat and dogustation anyone?) it didn’t seem much of a stretch to believe this was actually a service Virgin would offer.

Once everyone was in on the joke they thanked customers for being good sports by offering double frequent flyer points for every pet that flew in April.

At Round Square Marketing we loved this light-hearted and clever engagement strategy. To us it demonstrated the insight Virgin has into its audience and how they tap into that to consistently drive engagement.

They know for their customers it’s all about experience.

Virgin cut right to the heart by focusing on pets – an emotional centre for many people. By successfully engaging the hearts of their customers they also sparked imaginations. They got their customers imagining experiencing the pet lounge with their own dog or cat. They inspired thinking and planning for their next journey with Virgin.

Even though the pet lounge was a joke, Virgin maximised the interest and awareness by offering a tangible reward of frequent flyer points. We think that’s a completely clever way to draw attention to one of your key product offerings.

Not every brand can leverage cute puppies, so Virgin had an advantage here. However, you can think differently about how you can inspire and invite your customer to experience your brand.

Do you know what’s important to your customer or stakeholder? How can you use that knowledge to create strategic and effective marketing that connects with your audience? If you’re not sure how to answer these questions call us at Round Square Marketing. We’ll talk about a solution that can work for you.

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