• by Laurie Sullivan , February 13, 2008

Virgin Atlantic Airways stepped into mobile marketing this week with a U.S. campaign geared toward the tech-savvy traveler.

The "Love from Above" effort launched last week brings London landmarks to the skies above Manhattan and Chicago through Thursday. The lights projected into the skylines of both cities invite consumers to visit Virgin Atlantic's first microsite, www.lovefromabove.mobi, through any mobile phone Internet browser.

"We want to get caught up in the interactive wave [in which] technology takes consumers," says Chris Rossi, Virgin Atlantic senior VP of North America. "The campaign gives consumers a way to interact with our brands and products."

Virgin Atlantic's microsite offers up information on free rides in London taxicabs wrapped in "Love from Above" campaign art work, British pub events, and complimentary movie passes designed to convey the surprises that travelers experience on board the company's planes. The movie passes remind consumers they can choose from more than 40 movies to watch when they fly.

Ads on bus shelters, billboards and online, developed by McKinney, the agency of record, will run through April in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.

Billboards in purple and red with paisley patterns and British flair pose questions and assert statements that try to get travelers thinking differently about taking flights. The billboards read: "Shouldn't flying be art?" "Should a seat recharge more than your laptop?" and "Cabin crew so attentive you'll think you've been discovered."

While the campaign represents a new direction in color and style for the airline, marketing and advertising messages continue to push relaxation and comfort on overseas flights. "We want people to start thinking positively about the flight, rather than it's going to be a miserable experience," Rossi says, noting that one of Virgin Atlantic's shortest flights, from London to New York, takes six hours. "

Virgin Atlantic typically runs about three U.S. marketing campaigns yearly and plans to partially back at least one movie release this year.

Earlier this month, the company reported that it will support the release of the 22nd James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace," with a series of promotion and marketing campaigns. Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for Eon Productions will produce, and Marc Foster will direct. The movie scheduled for release Nov. 7.

New technology appears a draw for the marketing team at Virgin Atlantic. Aside from mobile phone microsites, Rossi says a future campaign he's reviewing could include near field communications (NFC), a semiconductor technology embedded in advertising posters and billboards that allows consumers to download discounts, information and coupons onto their cellular phones.