Virgin Atlantic Research

VIRGIN ATLANTIC |

MARKETING STRATEGIES |

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BA 514 |

Introduction

A company’s product or service image often immerses itself within the population that receives the product’s branding via advertising tactics carefully orchestrated by the company. These brands attach to a feeling of trust, respect, and loyalty from its consumers. Airlines compete for loyal passengers more now than ever before. Some airlines try to attract travelers with low fares, while others maintain higher prices with the lure of providing a more enjoyable customer experience i.e., comfort and luxury. This paper serves to highlight the advertising tactics that British Virgin Atlantic Airlines uses to maintain loyal customers. A brief history of Virgin Atlantic and a general description of branding as a marketing tactic is also provided in this document. Lastly, this paper will connect the four P’s of Marketing, developed by Edmund Jerome McCarthy (1964), to Virgin Atlantic’s marking strategy.

The History of Virgin Atlantic

General History

The founder of Virgin Atlantic is Sir Richard Branson, who created the airline in 1984. Virgin Atlantic is a British airline, with their headquarters in Crawley, England. Their first flight was between London Gatwick and Newark International Airport on June 22nd, 1984 in a leased aircraft, a Boeing 747-200. In less than a year, Virgin Atlantic became profitable and started to expand their fleet. In 1986, Virgin Atlantic installed their sleeping seats in the Uppers Class to stand out from other competitors and make their passengers pleased. With their quality service from the begging and reasonable prices they attracted a lot of passengers and, a few years after, opened new routes around the world. Now, Virgin Atlantic is the largest British airline, connecting the largest cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Johannesburg, Dubai, Sydney, Hong Kong and Tokyo from their two origin London airports Gatwick Airport and London...