Now - an integrated campaign for Virgin Holidays inviting holiday-goers to 'Unleash Your Mojo',

The M&C Saatchi Group has unveiled an integrated campaign for Virgin Holidays inviting holiday-goers to ‘Unleash Your Mojo’, marking a major new direction for the brand.

The £2.5m campaign, created by M&C Saatchi and LIDA, is running across TV, outdoor, online, social, and below the line, with the first TV ad – targeting families – breaking on Saturday 4 May during Britain’s Got Talent. The second ad is aimed at ‘post families’ – couples whose children have left the nest – and will be airing later in the month.

Both 40 second adverts – directed by the renowned music video director, Joseph Khan – show how a Virgin Holiday will help you ‘Unleash Your Mojo’ and reconnect with the very best versions of yourself.

Scenes in the ads transition seamlessly into each other and each ad opens on a grey, dreary scene of everyday life, before moving to the vibrant colours of a Virgin Holiday. The voiceover is characterful and witty, tying in with the focus on the consumer as ‘the star’, and the feeling of playfulness and energy that permeates the wider campaign.

The first ad shows a family escaping from the pressures and tedium of daily life, and highlights the activities on offer on a Virgin Holiday. The ad closes with the revitalised family striding together as a unit in slow motion, ending with the line: ‘You see, on a Virgin Holiday to Florida, you’re the stars ... Virgin Holidays: Unleash Your Mojo.’

The post-family ad – starring actress and scriptwriter, Heather Wright – illustrates how a post-family couple can reconnect with their most vibrant and brilliant selves.  The work stands out amidst stereotypical adverts aimed at a 50+ demographic, highlighting the freedom and opportunities available during this life phase, while showing the female character in the lead.

The TV ads are supported by an outdoor and print advertising campaign, which continues the bold and fun tone, vivid colours, and playful sentiment of the TV ads, featuring stunning imagery that many will recognise as inspired by the acclaimed photographer David LaChapelle.

The supporting social campaign – which launched on 22^nd April – engaged the public via a Twitter ‘Mojovator’, which will unlock prizes once targets are reached for the number of tweets using  ‘#mojo’ – including the chance for one person to win a dream holiday for themselves and seven friends to their own ‘Mojo Island’ in the Caribbean.

Andrew Shelton, Marketing Director at Virgin Holidays, said: “A Virgin Holiday is about one thing: helping our customers be the best they can be. We believe that only on a Virgin Holiday can you truly unleash your mojo. This refreshing campaign perfectly captures our message and ethos, and we’re very excited about the new direction we’re taking the Virgin Holidays brand.”

Elspeth Lynn, Executive Creative Director at M&C Saatchi, said: “This initiative demonstrates the fact that Virgin Holidays are all about the consumer. And by casting them in the starring role – rather than the brand or destination – it’s clear that everyone has a mojo within them, and Virgin is here to help them unleash it.”

Jonathan Goodman, Managing Partner at LIDA, added: “The concept of ‘unleashing your mojo’ is a perfect fit with the energy of Virgin, and this integrated campaign sets the brand firmly apart from its competitors, in a uniquely Virgin way.”

M&C Saatchi was appointed by Virgin Holidays in August 2012, and LIDA has been working with the brand since October 2012.

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