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Virgin: Still Sexist?
Posted by Eliza Williams, 9 January 2009, 18:47 Permalink Comments (53)
Twenty-five years ago, Virgin shook up the staid world of air travel with a service and brand that was refreshing and modern. It was a 'challenger' in the true sense of the word, fearlessly taking on big, bad old BA. So why has it chosen to celebrate that fact with such an old-fashioned ad, in every sense?
Y&R in London is behind this new ad for Virgin Atlantic, which celebrates the airline's 25th anniversary. Its retro styling has already had many critics raving but the message behind the ad seems even more outdated than its look.
The spot features a yuppie (talking enthusiastically into his brick-like mobile phone, natch) arriving at an airport where he is floored by a passing group of female flight attendants dressed in red power suits and stilettoes, their (mostly) blonde tresses flowing in the breeze. Walking to the beat of Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood (a la Catch Me If You Can), everyone stops to look at them, including the dowdier-looking women who look on with envy and, of course, all the men in the room. The ad then ends with an awkward exchange between two male onlookers and the tagline 'Still Red Hot'.
What are we supposed to take from this? Surely Virgin has something more interesting to say about itself than "fly with us because we've got the most shaggable stewardesses", even if it's doing so with its tongue in its cheek? OK, so perhaps an attempt is being made to satirise the mores as well as the look of 80s advertising, but that just leaves the viewer with the impression that Virgin is stuck in the past.
Virgin was attractive because it sought to leave such retarded nonsense behind. It was supposed to be modern. And yet the attitudes behind this commercial are as outmoded as the, albeit beautifully-styled, retro setting.
If you were the female CEO of a major organisation, would this ad make you want to give your business to Virgin?
Creative director
Mark Roalfe
Copywriter
Pip Bishop
Art director
Chris Hodgkiss
Director
TRAKTOR
53 Comments
the virgin ad is sexist and out of date but it did make me smile!!
2009-01-09 19:36:59
I think the spot's pretty awesome. I mean, it wouldn't have flow in the 90s, when feminism was at its most dour, but thankfully we've moved beyond that.
The only downside: that awful stand-in for Madonna. Clearly Y&R had a decent budget--was that the best they could do?
2009-01-10 02:33:38
I need to change my ticket :)
2009-01-10 03:31:00
that has got to be the most expensive Lynx advert I've ever seen. Gross. Its nothing new though, I always associated Virgin brands with outdated, sexist pr stunts.
http://www.dlisted.com/files/87897404.jpg
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/photo.cms?msid=953208
ever since I can remember Branson was pulling photo op's with scantily clad models.
2009-01-10 05:00:06
It is sexist that's true, but it's still a great ad.
2009-01-10 09:44:48
It's a little difficult to make a point about feminism whilst using the term "retarded"... Be PC or don't basically.
2009-01-10 15:28:18
@ Tony
The word 'retarded' is used here for its original, true meaning - as in something that has been kept back, or is somehow primitive or backward - and not in the nascent, mostly American, playground abbreviation of 'mentally retarded'.
Patrick Burgoyne
2009-01-10 19:12:58
The ad did a very good job of recreating the feel of the 80s, including the perception of women - reminiscent of countless pop videos (take Club Tropicana for example) and movies from the era - and in that regard, works. Even the clunky dialogue at the conclusion fits the bill.
Nonetheless, I do not feel that it would be my choice to represent my company in such a way. As has been noted, it seems to fly in the face of everything the brand has stood for, and - irony aside - indicates that they are stuck in the past.
2009-01-10 19:47:51
I worked for VAA in Gatwick a few years ago. I didn't see any of those Stewardess' from the Ad. Some tried hard to look just as good but it was all make-up.
2009-01-10 20:28:05
My mate reckons that the Virgin stewardesses *were* the most shaggable... he even lived with one for a while (though she was as mad as fruit bat)...
2009-01-10 21:54:24
Great ad, brings back fond memories of my childhood popping to Wimpy for a box of Fish and Chips.
2009-01-10 22:03:55
Relax is also celebrating an anniversary as it's 25 years this month since Mike Reid / Radio One banned the track. The TV channel Dave are also using it at the moment so one wonders whether it could make a return to the charts.
I think it's possible to take these sort of ads too seriously. It's a tongue-in-cheek look at the decade as a whole - most will recognise something from our past there.
Can't say it makes me want to fly Virgin but it has put them back in my consciousness through the nostalgia of the times.
2009-01-11 00:41:56
it's funny, and i buy into this 'we have the sexiest crew onboard' claim. maybe because im a male, dunno. or maybe it's his cell
2009-01-11 00:56:47
It's great. It wakes you up and puts a smile on your face. You also spend the whole ad pointing, and shouting things like, "Asteroooooidddsss, I was great at that!!!"
2009-01-11 18:01:46
virgin atlantic ain't got shit on fleggard
http://www.m2film.dk/fleggaard/index.php?film=2
2009-01-11 21:19:27
I kinda think this sort of kitschy advertising is worth doing for Virgin - even if they don't totally pull it off.
Anything an airline company can do to give itself a properly different image from it's competitors is a goddamn miracle.
2009-01-11 21:58:11
Most men are attracted to women. That's sexist?
Frick.
2009-01-11 22:07:32
Comment deleted by moderator. Abuse does not contribute to the debate. If you do not like something, please use this space to explain why
2009-01-12 01:14:45
Attractive stewards, handsome pilots and 'interested' onlookers – it seems that this ad covers the interests of both genders and whatever sexual preference you might have.
I love it. It looks different to other airlines ads, it speaks a daring and brave new language that is synonymous with the brand and leaves you with a little laugh.
No other airline can own 'sexy' and Virgin should flaunt it; it has been their competitive advantage for many years and may continue to be for some time to come.
Scratch the surface and you have a piece of communication that is talking to an audience who flies regularly and is tired of the mundane world that regular, business air travel has become – why not bring some sexy back?
2009-01-12 11:13:08
To me it attempts to show Virgin kicked all the other airlines up the arse when it was launched, and I think it does it brilliantly. A standout ad in a sea of dross lately.
2009-01-12 22:38:38
Aren't you fed up with cliche TV commercials of a tender-caring air hostess taking care of a sweet child that has fallen asleep on an aircraft seat with a teddy bear in his arms? I mean this one generates smiles, brings memories to some and I believe achieves its goal. It's an anniversary ad that communicates VAA in general.
Good job.
2009-01-13 07:35:48
Sexism - women love it
2009-01-13 14:02:53
It's far less annoying and much more amusing than those horrible wobbly Virgin Media ads where a computer generated Branson is disguised as some sort of surgeon to the stars type.
Sexist? Maybe. What would Laura Mulvey say?
2009-01-14 09:51:40
I reckon you creative folk sometimes forget the purpose of the ad is to entertain and ultimately sell the product to a punter.
On those criteria, it's a cracker.
People in adland should keep their mind on the fact that it's not a calling with a higher purpose, so who cares if it's kitsch.
Virgin has always been a fun brand that can tend towards naff, and the ad certainly serves as a point of differentiation between them and the other airlines.
When do you last remember someone making air travel seem fun?
2009-01-14 10:07:48
Wow - the best ad of 2009 before Ive seen the rest... Let alone change my ticket Im gonna buy one. (is the remix available anywhere?)
2009-01-14 18:00:17
Personally I didn't think it was offensive/particularly sexist - yes, the women are more the focus than the male pilot but there is a male pilot. I think it plays well with the Virgin logo and is a change from other ads on at the moment. I think it plays on the assumptions of that particular industry, which has always had and been the victim of stereotyping. Sure it doesn't address or do anything to combat that situation but as someone else mentioned, it's clearly a tongue-in-cheek look at that era.
Having just browsed some of the other ad-related posts on here, I think this is definitely the best of the bunch - Skins series 3 teaser (awful, I don't see the appeal of Skins at all!) & the glut of folksy/twee, inoffensive ad tracks. It's not necessarily a brilliant ad but it's a good one and I wouldn't call it offensive or overtly sexist.
I can see how some might see it as objectifying women though I guess..
2009-01-15 11:44:10
Everyone in our industry should know that sex sells and the job of this ad is to sell.
But why are you confusing beauty with sex - there is no reference to sex in the ad just beautiful girls and a token man (pilot).
My issue with the ad would be its honesty, I mean, have you ever been on a plane with girls that look like that? oh, and the departures board showing all flights on time - please!!!
2009-01-15 11:55:32
My daughter is a stewardess with VA and loves this Ad which has clearly achieved all it's intended goals by the way people are talking about it. The thing that upsets her is that she has to wear black shoes now and wishes that she could wear the red shoes from the ads. I'm surely biased but I think she's a very pretty, intelligent, blonde 25 year old.
2009-01-15 12:13:45
Calm down, Dear. It's only a commercial.
Hit me with those laser beams ...
2009-01-15 12:14:08
Oh come on girls - it’s not an affront to feminism, it’s just amusing. Fun to reference the 80's in these doom ridden times.
2009-01-15 12:17:20
Brilliant! When an airline is using the superior bounce of its cabin crews' big hairdos, you simply have to chuckle. And with all the attention they are getting here, I'm guessing: Job done.
2009-01-15 12:17:54
C'mon, don't knock Virgin for this ad. There's too many companies trying to pretend they're either better than they are, something they're not... or both.
Virgin's famous for it's policy of not hiring 'old mingers' as flight staff. In certain circles it's done them a favour too. If they wish to boast that then it's at least honest of them.
The creative's good. All the right retro brands and ideas are in there, and the spot's well shot and edited.
The business decision's perhaps not the smartest, but that's a different point for a different blog.
2009-01-15 12:50:49
Well, call me old-fashioned but all I get from the ad is that Virgin really doesn't care about how I create value in my personal network.
That's OK because if Virgin doesn't want to engage with me there are others who do :-)
2009-01-15 12:53:19
A great little ad that made me chuckle. Ace. Sex sells - one of the first rules in the 80's, surely, and like one of the previous posts said - at least they are being honest about it. No dramas.
What about the inclusion of a camp gay man (you know the ones) member of the flight crew for the 2034 ad? That would be reflective of the times we live in now, just as this ad is a reflection of the times we lived in then.....But he would have to be fit, of course.
2009-01-15 14:05:02
A wonderful piece of satire. I loved it and am NOT offended. And yes I would fly Virgin.
2009-01-15 14:11:59
I like it even though I'm a woman. We're all getting bogged down in too much PC. I don't see anything wrong promoting a product with attractive people. And yes. My first flight choice is always Virgin.
2009-01-15 14:20:55
It's a great ad and I like it, but perhaps that is because my more senior years might be the market niche that Virgin is trying to attract.
2009-01-15 14:57:27
Why not have a little fun for goodness sake in this short life of ours? I think everyone here is adult enough to take this ad with an industrial-sized rock of salt -- and it certainly isn't aimed at children so why be so sensitive? Have a little fun -- give in to a daydream once in a blue moon -- Isn't that what they're saying? I've never flown Virgin -- but I know I want to...and I'm a woman, btw. Heck, I'd even consider being a flight attendant after watching that....
2009-01-15 15:15:48
I think this is a great ad however I got confused when I first watch it because the ad starts with a man buying The Sun newspaper. Does it mean Virgin has some relationship with them or what?
2009-01-15 20:31:08
As a woman this does not make me want to fly with Virgin. From now on I only want to fly with that guy that can land a plane in the Hudson river! now there's a hero.
2009-01-19 12:43:31
It's a joke, man. A nice joke, by the way. It is Virgin Airlines, it is an obvious joke. I liked it. And Yeah I DO believe women got brains, ok?
2009-01-23 12:41:36
Of the many 'ism's' that we're are affronted with (or ignorant of participating in) it seems that sexism is the one, above all others, that is tolerated. If this (or any other) advert were to portray other discriminated sections of our community in a similar manner it would rightly cause widespread condemnation and be pulled from the air.
The question then is - Why is it still okay to be sexist (remembering that this is an issue that affects both male and female identities (e.g. the right for men to take paternity leave)? or we could ask - What forces order are alignment to either one side of the argument of the other?
2009-01-25 21:03:05
I don't think you guys are in touch with just how sexist our media culture is. This Virgin '80's style' ad shows strong, sexy career women - what's wrong with that? Have you seen 'MTV Noise: Jetty Swim'? That is actually how young women are portrayed. Bring on more strong, sexy career women is what I say.
2009-01-29 14:11:23
Damn, the brunette who turns around to greet the little girl is smokin' hot!
2009-02-01 17:10:26
Three comments on the ad.
Fabulous rip off of the scene in 'Catch me if you can'.
When will feminists realise the true meaning of the word 'attractive'.
When will the uneducated children in charge of this country realise that there is only one RIGHT way to fly the Union Jack.
2009-02-04 19:20:57
He is one sexy man that follow dressed as a pilot.in the ad.who is he? he can be my valentine any time. And i think the ad is great too. Sheila in poplar london
2009-02-09 12:48:52
My friend is still trying to find out who is the sexy man dressed as a pilot. in the virgin ad.as she got to ask Sir Richard Branson him self.as no one is answering her question. HEEEELLLLPPPP Jacqueline x
2009-02-11 14:29:42
If only the femenists were as concerned about the exploitaion of women in the porn industry.
2009-02-12 15:39:34
altered version that is a bit more true to the message
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYGYbY4Eq2M
2009-02-17 22:51:21
The pilots name is Mike Dale
2009-09-16 22:13:39
Find him at http://www.nevsmodels.co.uk
2009-09-16 22:18:15
Has nobody realised that there are male cabin crew (stewards, not just the pilot) present in the group too?
2009-09-28 05:09:43
Great comments,all.Slightly baffled by Dug's comment......."Well, call me old-fashioned but all I get from the ad is that Virgin really doesn't care about how I create value in my personal network."
What on earth is that all about??? I think he needs to,how can i put this......uncork himself.
Great ad but not sure if it makes me want to fly with them. Good airline and have flown them many times but other airlines have their own delights.For me,it's the seating and the entertainment.Nothing else really matters.Does bring back memories though......
2009-10-27 15:30:38
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