$A4.5m ad blitz and new flexible fare for Virgin Blue
Virgin Blue has upped the competition ante, showing its determination to capture a greater share of the lucrative corporate market, by introducing a new flexible corporate travel fare and launching a $A4.5 million national advertising blitz
The campaign titled, “Don’t follow suit” launched today, urges business travellers to break away from the pack and try Virgin as an alternative to Qantas.
The airline has for some time attempted to attract more business traffic and improve its yields to insulate the “new world” carrier against any downturns in the price and interest rate sensitive leisure market.
Virgin Blue’s enhancements to attract the business traveller include the Velocity frequent flyer scheme, self-service kiosks, web check-in and revamped lounges and will shortly become the first airline in the southern hemisphere to introduce live pay-TV.
Developed from its blue pass fare after feedback from government and corporate customers, Virgin Blue is also introducing a new “corporate plus” fare, which will include lounge access, priority check-in, a 32kg checked baggage limit, the ability to make fee-free itinerary changes up to an hour before a flight and the flexibility to use a credit for up to 12 months.
The campaign is the carrier’s largest in Australia to date and includes billboards at 34 sites around Australia, as well as television and newspaper advertising.
Virgin Blue spokeswoman Heather Jeffery said, “We are making good inroads into new areas of corporate business development, recently signing up major new corporate travel contracts in banking and finance, engineering, and consumer products with companies who had not flown with us before and now wish to”.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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