Virgin launches new campaign, fares to tempt Christmas travellers

Virgin Australia is preparing to emerge from administration with a new fresh face at its helm.

Virgin Australia is relaunching with Melbourne schoolgirl Annie Jones as its face. Picture: Jason Edwards

After seven-months in administration, Virgin Australia has unveiled a new campaign fronted by a 12-year-old schoolgirl, to signal the airline’s return from the financial abyss.

Titled “you can’t keep a good thing down”, the video features Melbourne’s Annie Jones, a former America’s Got Talent finalist, dancing to INXS hit “What You Need”.

Intended to depict her excitement at being back at the airport, Virgin Australia brand and marketing manager Michael Nearhos said they wanted to show guests how they would feel to be boarding a plane again.

“You can’t keep a good thing down has two meanings – it’s not only a nod to Virgin Australia looking to the future but it’s also about giving travellers confidence that, after a period of uncertainty, the Virgin Australia they know and love is up there flying again and here to stay,” said Mr Nearhos.

He said Australians would “fall in love with Annie” just like they did.

“Annie has got this amazing, vibrant, and warm personality and an infectious zest for life which is a really great fit for our brand,” Mr Nearhos said.

Miss Jones said she had travelled on a “lot of planes” and was very excited to be part of the campaign.

“Basically I’m having this dream of going through the airport and doing whatever I want,” she said. “It was really, really fun.”

Her mother Leah Jones said her daughter learnt some of the dance routine for the video, while they were in quarantine in Sydney, after travelling from Melbourne for the campaign shoot.

It was their second stint in quarantine, having returned home from Los Angeles earlier in the year after Annie’s stint on America’s Got Talent.

“(Her performance) has had over 19 million YouTube views, it’s absolutely incredible,” Ms Jones said.

“She loves spending time performing.”

The Virgin campaign was months in the making, and based on research that found 50 per cent of travellers were thinking of their next trip in the lead up to Christmas.

To help stimulate travel on the back of the campaign, Virgin launched a new seat sale with half a million fares from $75 on selected routes including baggage and seat selection.

The sale fares will be available until midnight Friday November 20, or until sold out.

The carrier went into administration on April 21 with debts in excess of $7bn, after shareholders and the federal government refused to provide a lifeline.

A sale process saw US private equity firm Bain Capital lodge the winning bid, and next week the $3.5bn transaction will be finalised, signalling the end of the administration.

Under Bain, Virgin will operate an all Boeing 737 fleet with up to 6000 employees once the market recovers.