• by Nina Lentini  @Nina_Lentini, September 29, 2008

Seeking to leverage customer dissatisfaction with airline travel, Virgin Atlantic Airways has launched a new campaign called "Airphoria" that focuses on what it calls its "unique ability to deliver a truly exciting flying experience for the increasingly frustrated and disappointed business traveler."

Developed with its AOR, McKinney of Durham, N.C., the campaign will be rolled out throughout the fall season in major national print publications, out of home, and online executions. Ads break this week in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune and Crain's Chicago Business.

A year ago, Virgin was touting itself as "Love From Above"--but, as Jim Mezoff, VP/marketing, explains to Marketing Daily, the company decided the time was right to make an aggressive move.

"As other airlines show pessimism or fall back on cutting costs, we want to show that we are the consumer's advocate," he says. "We're not offering promises, but concrete details on why we are the better choice in going from the U.S. to London."

He describes the new ads as cheeky and irreverent. "Look, we recognized the opportunity we had out there, that our messaging is more relevant right now," he says. "We are one of the few--I would say the only--international carrier that flyers can get excited about. We deliver absolute excitement. We wanted to take that sense of euphoria and apply it to a creative campaign."

Virgin Atlantic, which flies from 10 U.S. gateways directly to London and beyond, highlights in the new campaign its complimentary limos to and from the airport, Drive-Thru Check In, a private security channel, and the 8,000-square-foot Heathrow Clubhouse with complimentary Bumble & Bumble haircut, Cowshed spa pool and relaxation treatments, "uncompromising cuisine, onboard bar, and the longest fully flat bed in business class."

Last week, Virgin and McKinney took top honors at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's MIXX Awards that celebrate the "mixx" of creativity and effectiveness in digital marketing. Virgin Atlantic's experiential launch, "Love from Above," won a Gold MIXX in the Mobile Platforms category for the company's first-ever WAP site.