New creative platform positions Virgin Media, as the leader of superior connectivity, with the fastest WiFiguarantee of any major broadband provider, meaning customers can stream YouTube content, with the promise of 20Mbps in every room or get money back
• The bold ad ‘Highland Rider’ characterises Virgin Media’s WiFi guarantee and reliable connectivity through the visual metaphor of a highland cow riding a motorbike
London – 7th October 2022: Today, Virgin Media together with VCCP London releases ‘Why walk when you can ride?’ an integrated brand campaign to launch Virgin Media’s WiFi guarantee, demonstrating the internet provider’s commitment to delivering superior connectivity, reliability,and speed.
The light-hearted and playful campaign will roll out throughout the UK across multiple formats and leads with a hero 60” film, ‘Highland Rider’, directed by award-winning director, Jeff Low and will premiere during the England Women’s international friendly football match against the USA on ITV. Supported by a 30” spot, the film depicts the story of a highland cow who, inspired by epic biking scenes she’s seen streamed over Virgin Media WiFi, goes to better and beyond by taking to the tarmac on a motorbike.
The cinematic TVC opens on a close up of a highland cow’s face, with a view of the Scottish Highlands landscape behind. As the iconic backing track from Dirty Dancing ‘She’s Like The Wind’ by Patrick Swayze begins to build, the camera pulls out to reveal an eye catching scene of the cow roaring along on a motorbike as she embarks on her own adventure. The viewer accompanies the ride with her for a while, and then, with the wind in her hair, she races off into the distance. The campaign strapline ‘Why walk when you can ride?’ voiced by celebrated actor, Peter Mullen, brings the film to a close andaims to leave viewers with the feeling of never settling for slow when you can have fast.
The new strategic and creative platform builds on Virgin Media’s existing market-leading speed credentials andbolsters its position further by highlighting its reliability credentials too thanks to the launch of its new WiFi guarantee – the fastest of any major provider. ‘Why walk when you can ride?’ celebrates Virgin Media’s promise to never stop in the quest to make things better for its customers, to challenge the status quo, and nods to their unstoppable spirit.
Thanks to Virgin Media’s superior connectivity, anyone – or anything – can be inspired to reach their potential and it is this spirit, and the superior connectivity, that emboldens the film’s Highland Cow to pursue better – leaving the lacklustre behindto go ‘to better and beyond’ – all in an unmistakably Virgin, tongue-in-cheek way.
Virgin Media and VCCP London worked with Emmy and Bafta award-winning Untold Studios to create their leading lady. Built in 3D CGI, the bespoke asset will feature across upcoming brand and trading campaigns until the end of 2022.
Supporting the 60” and 30” TVCs, ‘Why walk when you can ride? will also go live in OOH solely at The O2 Arena, on display, OVOD, BVOD, retail and across social media.
The campaign demonstrates a change of creative direction for Virgin Media, from speed leadership to superior connectivity more broadly through brand swagger, attitude, and a little dose of fun.
Discussing the new campaign, Amy Gilbert, marketing director at Virgin Media O2 said, “The Virgin Media brand is rooted in unstoppable spirit and a desire to continually push boundaries to offer our customers more. From ourunrivalled broadband speeds to our market leading WiFiguarantee, the purpose of our new campaign is to bring to life the superior connectivity we offer customers, with a bit of Virgin Swagger.”
David Masterman, Deputy executive creative director at VCCP London added, “This new campaign reinjects Virgin Media with its iconic attitude. Showing how we enable our customers to go to better and beyond, embodied by a highland cow on a Triumph Bonneville.”
Virgin Media worked with UK agency of record, VCCP London, content production studio Girl&Bear, and VCCP’s Product and Service innovation company, Bernadette, to devise the new campaign. ‘Why walk when you can ride?’runs from today until late November across TVC, BVOD, display, social, retail, OOH at The O2 and OLV (YouTube). MG OMD handled the media planning and buying for the campaign.
CAMPAIGN CREDITS
CAMPAIGN TITLE: ‘Why Walk When You Can Ride?
FILM TITLE: Highland Rider
CLIENT: Virgin Media
ADVERTISING AGENCY: VCCP
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Jonathan Parker and Chris Birch
DEPUTY EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: David Masterman
SENIOR CREATIVES: Jason Keet and James Hodson
SENIOR SOCIAL CREATIVE: Geneva Stanton
MANAGING PARTNER: Emma Whitmarsh
BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Sonia Gilchrist
SENIOR ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Allana Isaacs
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Max Glanvill
ACCOUNT MANAGER: Jessica Stachera and FionnO’Doherty
DEPUTY HEAD OF PLANNING: Jenny Nichols
SENIOR PLANNER: Gemma Smyth
SENIOR SOCIAL PLANNER: Camila Toro
AGENCY TV PRODUCER: Ed Mueller
AGENCY CREATIVE PRODUCER: Charlotte McCluskey
DESIGN DIRECTOR: Tom Loach
SENIOR DESIGNER: Rohit Sharma
DEPUTY HEAD OF STUDIO: Scott Mitchell
ASSISTANT STUDIO MANAGER: Thomas Whetnall
ARTWORKER: Lee Forster
AGENCY DIGITAL PRODUCER: Francesco Segramora
DIGITAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Jon Bancroft
SENIOR DIGITAL DESIGNER: Martin Pavlica
DIGITAL DESIGNER: Ivan Huri
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Biscuit Filmworks
DIRECTOR: Jeff Low
PRODUCER: Kwok Lau
MD/ EP: Rupert Reynolds-Maclean
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Matt Cummins
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Dave Arrowsmith
DOP: Marc Gomez Del Moral
EDITOR: Saam Hodivala @ ShiftPost
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY: Untold Studios
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Ben Cronin
VFX SUPERVISOR: Amir Bazazi & Alex Kulikov
VFX ANIMATION LEAD: Suvi Jokiniemi
CHARACTER SUPERVISOR: Chloe Dawe
EXEC PRODUCER: Ian Berry
PRODUCER: George Reid
COLOURIST: Julien Alary
HEAD OF ANIMATION: Tim van Hussen
SHOOT ATTEND: Martino Madeddu & Ben Cronin
VFX LEAD: Sebastian Caldwell
VFX ARTISTS: Manon Cauzid, Natasha Santiparp, Grace Davison, Komel Makarowicz, Clara
Malleviale, Phillippe Moine, Harry McCusker-Bland, Georgios Kyparissous, Anand
Balasubramanian, Lynn Dekker, Michael Korniltsev, FleiciaPetersen, George Rockliffe
SOUND STUDIO: Wave Studios
SOUND ENGINEER: Parv Thind
PRODUCER: Beth Tomblin
MUSIC SUPERVISION: Soho Music
VOICE CASTING: BOURNE CONSULTANCY
MEDIA BUYING AGENCY: MG OMD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Paula Mankelow
BUSINESS DIRECTOR: Spencer Corrigan
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Sam Nambiar
DIGITAL ACCOUNT MANAGER: Ben Powell
DIGITAL SENIOR CLIENT EXECUTIVE: Miranda Roberts
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: James Cameron
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