Virgin Trains' New £8m Campaign

[TheIRO]

Richard Branson has announced that Virgin Trains will be investing £8m into a new campaign to enhance the company's image. 'Arrive Awesome' will see the company attempt to become a 'irresistible travel option' for customers across the UK. What are your thoughts?

To find out more you can read the whole story here: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/travel-and-leisure/news/4011661.article

Virgin Trains has unveiled an overhaul of its brand positioning that it hopes will make it “an irresistible travel option” for UK commuters.

The brand has unveiled a new strapline - “Arrive Awesome” - in an £8m campaign intended to demonstrate Virgin Trains’ new focus on service improvements and its emotional engagement with passengers.



The campaign comes after the company secured a three-year franchise from the Department for Transport (DfT) to continue running the west coast mainline in June.


A TV advert, which broke last night (16 September), echoes the quirky and self-confident marketing of other Virgin brands by showing passengers apparently walking in slow-motion as they disembark from a train in a film that was shot in real time.


The TV campaign, devised by Krow, TMW and Profero, is supported by cinema, radio, print, outdoor and online activations.


Speaking to Marketing Week, Virgin Trains head of marketing Danny Gonzalez explains that Arrive Awesome will act as a “stake in the ground” that will run through all of the brand’s marketing communications over the next three years.



“We want to become an irresistible travel option for people so that as soon as they know they’re travelling on a long distance journey on the west coast route, their immediate thought will be ‘I want to be on a Virgin train’,” he says...

 

[gordonthemoron]

onboard beauticians? How about having a better selection in the shop?

 

[185]

Some could be spent on enabling passengers to obtain the right ticket.

Yesterday went to a VT booking office, was given 2 tickets advance dated by 8 days. Cue serious problems further on the journey, and being thrown off.

Was quite fun, in some ways, usually it's me doing the throwing off. :P

 

[northwichcat]

And if they lose the WC franchise and don't win the EC franchise they'll have no services to operate.

 

[All Line Rover]

Another one of these silly gimmicks, like their staff slogan "create amazing". They're having a laugh. Virgin Trains is no better a company to travel with than East Coast.

It's amusing how "Arrive Awesome" looks similar to "Arriva is Awesome".

 

[theshillito]

Virgin Trains is no better a company to travel with than East Coast.

You know that.
I know that.
The general public won't care.

Make something look better than the others, people will be more interested. Marketing 101.

Edit: Actually, I've never traveled on East Coast, I just realised. Guess that's something to plan to do at some point.

 

[Deerfold]

I'm sorry to see that their advert broke. If they need a hand fixing it, feel free to give me a call.

 

[Baggypants]

You know that.
I know that.
The general public won't care.

Make something look better than the others, people will be more interested. Marketing 101.

Edit: Actually, I've never traveled on East Coast, I just realised. Guess that's something to plan to do at some point.

I have. You have to open the doors by yourself with handles. It's very retro.

 

[rebmcr]

Richard Branson has announced that Virgin Trains will be investing £8m into a new campaign to enhance the company's image. 'Arrive Awesome' will see the company attempt to become a 'irresistible travel option' for customers across the UK. What are your thoughts?

To find out more you can read the whole story here: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/travel-and-leisure/news/4011661.article

Tip: If you want to spark discussion about your press release, don't make it so obvious that it's a press release by using a different typeface.

 

[Deerfold]

I have. You have to open the doors by yourself with handles. It's very retro.

That depends which train you get - my last 3 journeys with EC have had snazzy buttons like on modern trains.

Tip: If you want to spark discussion about your press release, don't make it so obvious that it's a press release by using a different typeface.

Especially one that's significantly harder to read than the default font.

 

[3141]

Quote from the link: “We want to become an irresistible travel option for people so that as soon as they know they’re travelling on a long distance journey on the west coast route, their immediate thought will be ‘I want to be on a Virgin train’,” he says.

“Previously I don’t think we have been as true to the Virgin brand in our marketing comms as we needed to be.”

And the people who spout this drivel probably believe, too. "True to the Virgin brand" indeed.

For most of us, if we're travelling a long distance on the west coast we'll almost certainly use Virgin Trains. But if we're looking for something cheaper and don't mind a slower journey, we might choose London Midland. Hard to imagine anyone who really needed to save saying to himself "But I must use Virgin - it's irresistible."

Or again - if I'm travelling by Cross Country from Basingstoke to Manchester, am I going to change at Stoke to travel on Virgin? I think I'd rather get to where I'm going.

But Mr. Gonzalez has to justify his existence.

 

[6Gman]

Richard Branson has announced that Virgin Trains will be investing £8m into a new campaign to enhance the company's image. 'Arrive Awesome' will see the company attempt to become a 'irresistible travel option' for customers across the UK. What are your thoughts?

To find out more you can read the whole story here: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/travel-and-leisure/news/4011661.article

Travelling from Norwich to Leeds I could probably manage to resist Virgin as a travel option ..........

 

[martinsh]

Or again - if I'm travelling by Cross Country from Basingstoke to Manchester, am I going to change at Stoke to travel on Virgin?

Well you could always change at Birmingham onto Virgin and then change again at Crewe (another Virgin). Good connection at Crewe ...

Or even forget XC, take SWT (another Stagecoach company) to London and go Virgin all the way !

 

[Deerfold]

Well you could always change at Birmingham onto Virgin and then change again at Crewe (another Virgin). Good connection at Crewe ...

Or even forget XC, take SWT (another Stagecoach company) to London and go Virgin all the way !

That's Virgin on the ridiculous.

 

[455driver]

So Virmin are going to spend another £8million telling us how good they are!
Whoopy fullipin doo!

 

[GatwickDepress]

Perhaps they could've spent some of that eight million on a breakfast that doesn't taste like a microwaved carrier bag, fix Richard Branson's smile, etc.

 

[Squaddie]

Virgin's previous advertising campaign was as far from reality as it is possible to get, showing relaxed, smiling passengers stretching out in spacious trains and all in soft focus. I don't think anyone who has travelled with them will be fooled again.

 

[WatcherZero]

Perhaps they could've spent some of that eight million on a breakfast that doesn't taste like a microwaved carrier bag, fix Richard Branson's smile, etc.

Kitchen refurbishment is part of the franchise extension.

 

[Abpj17]

From my travelling experience, East Coast was better than Virgin...

There is only one operator that runs fast trains covering long distances on the west coast, so it's rather an academic point about whether it's Virgin or not...

In the past I've actively gone out of my way to avoid Virgin trains (student days) because the walk up ticket costs were so high. £85 for standard class for a 58 minute journey is not reasonable.

Perhaps cheaper tickets?

 

[Welshman]

I realise it's supposed to be an eye-catching strapline, but the pedant in me does cringe to see an adjective being used in place of an adverb.

But then "Arrive Awestruck" is not much better, for, as All Line Rover has already pointed-out, my mind immediately connected "Arrive" with "Arriva"

Ah well, at least DB should be happy.

 

[Howardh]

Is it, er, wise having a strapline which the first word is almost identical to the name of one of your rivals??

 

[Starmill]

I'll need an awful lot of convincing about any of the actual merits of Virgin Trains I'm afraid. I've too much experience of the way their staff, specifically ticket office staff, treat customers!

 

[bnsf734]

As a resident of Nuneaton our only Virgin services are the megabucks peak services so I think I can resist this new advertising campaign!

Much sooner have a seat on a 350/1 than a 390 anyway.

 

[al.currie93]

Ironically, Chiltern managed to do a far better advertising campaign; my friend found a poster at Birmingham International saying "Arise Sir Richard! In fact, travel with Chiltern Railways and you won't have to stand, so stay seated Rich"

From my travelling experience, East Coast was better than Virgin...

There is only one operator that runs fast trains covering long distances on the west coast, so it's rather an academic point about whether it's Virgin or not...

In the past I've actively gone out of my way to avoid Virgin trains (student days) because the walk up ticket costs were so high. £85 for standard class for a 58 minute journey is not reasonable.

Perhaps cheaper tickets?

Definitely agreed there with East Coast! Maybe they should invest some of that into a system that allows you to choose your reserved seat like East Coast offer? Actual useful things to invest in... but then they won't match East Coast's investment in the railways anyway :roll:

£85 walk on for a 58 minute journey?! My walk on for a two hour journey from Dorking Deepdene to Bath Spa is half with FGW...

 

[Abpj17]

Ironically, Chiltern managed to do a far better advertising campaign; my friend found a poster at Birmingham International saying "Arise Sir Richard! In fact, travel with Chiltern Railways and you won't have to stand, so stay seated Rich"



Definitely agreed there with East Coast! Maybe they should invest some of that into a system that allows you to choose your reserved seat like East Coast offer? Actual useful things to invest in... but then they won't match East Coast's investment in the railways anyway :roll:

£85 walk on for a 58 minute journey?! My walk on for a two hour journey from Dorking Deepdene to Bath Spa is half with FGW...

Milton Keynes to Stoke on Trent - Monday morning, not in advance, 58 minutes -_-; if you travel on a non-Virgin stopping train it takes 1h41 but costs ?£34.

 

[Geezertronic]

Ironically, Chiltern managed to do a far better advertising campaign; my friend found a poster at Birmingham International saying "Arise Sir Richard! In fact, travel with Chiltern Railways and you won't have to stand, so stay seated Rich"

Surely that just proves that VT services are busy beyond the capacity of the trains that they are able to run, whether that be a 9/11 car 390 or a 5/10 car 221 - and Chiltern are not so busy in comparison?

 

[gordonthemoron]

I usually use Virgin from MK to Euston as it's usually cheaper than LM (if you know which tickets to buy)

 

[jopsuk]

if the Pendolinos tilted on straight track, as a gif on the site shows them doing, no-one will be arriving "awesome"!

 

[87019Chris]

Ohh good lord what did I just watch?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nak8cpFJsY

They learnt there mistake from last time they dare not show the inside of the Pendolino in this advert ahaha

 

[Minilad]

if there was one TOC who would pull this kind of stunt it's Virgin. So obsessed with their own image. Proof you can fool most of the people all of the time. As displayed when they lost the franchise and the petition thing. Some of the comments around that time were cringeworthy.
I have never "got" the "Virgin difference". To me they are just another TOC. I have never understood this supposed great customer service they are supposed to provide. Either on trains or aircraft. They are nothing special in my book