Virgin Australia raises curtain on ‘you can’t keep a good thing down’ campaign via CHE Proximity
A 12-year-old schoolgirl from Melbourne fronts Virgin Australia’s new marketing campaign ‘You Can’t Keep A Good Thing Down’, unveiled today via CHE Proximity.
The campaign features Annie Jones, a vibrant young performer and 2020 America’s Got Talent finalist, who’s unable to contain her excitement at finally returning to the airport to go on a family holiday with her mum.
The film, directed by Revolver’s Matt Devine, transforms the airport into a stage, and Annie’s dreamy celebration mirrors the entire country’s growing excitement as safe air travel makes its triumphant return.
Soundtracked by the anthemic ‘What You Need’ by Australian icons INXS, we see her spinning, balancing, twisting and grooving her way back to the Virgin Australia flight she’s been looking forward to for months.
Virgin Australia general manager brand and marketing, Michael Nearhos, said You Can’t Keep a Good Thing Down is all about bringing to life the excitement of flying with Virgin Australia again: “As state and territory borders safely reopen and more Australians consider traveling, we wanted to show them how they’ll feel to finally enter the airport again to go on that holiday they’ve been dreaming of, to conduct business or to reunite with family and friends, and this campaign certainly captures that.
“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 travelers confidence that after a period of uncertainty, the Virgin Australia they know and love is up there flying again, and here to stay.”
When asked about Annie’s involvement, Nearhos said: “Annie has got this amazing, vibrant, and warm personality and an infectious zest for life which is a really great fit for our brand and we know Australians will fall in love with her just like we did.”
Says Ant White, chief creative officer, CHE Proximity: “It has been an honour to help tell one of the great Australian recovery stories with Virgin Australia and Velocity. ‘You Can’t Keep a Good Thing Down’ is a tribute to the fighting spirit Virgin brands are born with and marks the next chapter of their success here in Australia. We’re thrilled to be going on this journey with them.
“It was really important for us to remind people of the joys of flying. Annie’s ‘good thing’ dance interprets the happy feeling we all experience just before we board a plane. Thankfully, we’ll all get to enjoy it for real with state and territory borders safely reopening soon.”
The integrated campaign, which was a collaborative effort across Virgin Australia, Velocity Frequent Flyer and CHE Proximity, is the first major marketing activity ahead of the airline’s official sale to Bain Capital on Tuesday November 17.
To celebrate the launch of the campaign, and help people take off even sooner, Virgin Australia is also offering over half a million fares from just $75*, including baggage and seat selection, in their ‘Go You Good Thing’ sale on now until midnight AEDT next Friday 20 November unless sold out prior.
DDB remains Virgin Australia’s creative agency of record.
Visit the campaign landing page here.
Virgin Australia
Michael Nearhos, General Manager Brand & Marketing
Dean Chadwick, Acting Chief Marketing and Loyalty Officer
Rapthi Thanapalasingam, Head of Brand, Consumer & Media
Erina Chapman, Brand Communications and Governance Leader
Alexandra Davey, Brand Marketing Specialist
CHE Proximity
Ant White, Chief Creative Officer
Holly Alexander, Director, Strategic Production
Ashley Wilding, Creative Director
Daniel Davison, Creative Director
Cameron Dowsett, Senior Copywriter
Mark Tallis, Senior Art Director
Fee Millist, Senior Copywriter
Cass Jam, Senior Art Director
Darren Cole, Head of Design
Vanessa Saporito, Senior Designer
Caitlin Perz, Production Assistant
Reece Lawson, Digital Design Lead
David Halter, Chief Strategy Officer
Chris Howatson, Group CEO
Lorraine Gormley, Client Partner
George Robertson, Senior Account Director
Production Company: Revolver
Michael Ritchie, Managing Director/Co-Owner/Producer
Pip Smart, Executive Producer/Partner
Matt Devine, Director
Lachlan Milne, Director of Photography
Neven Connolly & Cass Merwood, Chorerographers
Post Production : ARC Edit
Dan Lee, Editor
Ben Eagleton, Colourist
Daniel Fry, Executive Producer
Sound Post: Sonar Music
Timothy Bridge, Sound Designer
Sophie Haydon, Executive Producer
Music Supervisor – Anton, Trailer Media
PHD
Noel Gate – Group Business Director
Erin Hudson – Business Director
Stefan Boden – Group Trading Director
Monique Gilbert – Activations Account Director
Dylan Long – Account Executive
43 Comments
This is almost as cringey as Suncorp’s “Money with Sunny”.
I’m sure the great unwashed will love it.
She’s fantastic.
Well done Mark and Cam
Love this. Great touch with the INXS track.
Good job Ant and team.
Possibly the worst ad i have ever seen
Lovely little bit of feel good film. Great stuff C&M.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqgoUWPx4eE
The best post covid ad I’ve seen. Well done to all involved
That’s what a crappy John Lewis ripoff looks like…
can they get actually away with this?
Nice work Ash, Dan, Tallis. Good, clean, funky fun. That’s what getting back into travel is all about.
I really enjoyed it up to the reveal where it was all just a dream. That was unnecessary and very predictable.
They just can’t do film. Missed opportunity
I miss flying!
Some one likes Spike Jonze!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF5cBoAV5Ys
You didn’t use data to reach the conclusion that people miss flying?
This is an abysmal piece of work
Of all INXS songs, you put my daughter to this?
Shameless!
People love to hate on CHEP. But this is bloody good.
Yesterday’s love made me feel funny. Nice to be back where hate reigns
But isn’t, move along, nothing to see here.
Beats that joke of a flying wig
Catchy song – tick
Kid doing catchy dance stuff – tick
Strategy – maybe a little off? Considering all those that no longer have a job at Virgin. I imagine they have been kept down.
Maybe a more sincere ‘happy to be back flying’ might have been a it more respectful of all the hard working former Virgin staff who no longer have a job rather than a look we just spent heaps of cash on an INXS track ad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg_9asA5Wus
And yes, what is a strategic production?
came out 15 years ago.
Coldplay would have been better.
Being a creative agency and thinking ‘yep, the producer always goes above the creative teams who came up with the ideas in our credits.’
When you stray away from your creative model. It’s not a good outcome. Stay the course crew.
Create an idea for easy award bait. Client not necessary.
Hold onto that idea until you find a suitable client.
Exploit a low budget brief and twist it towards your prepared idea.
Profit?
So we’re just deleting comments related to the agency that produces the work now?
I still genuinely want an answer to the question that 5 people asked? What does it mean?
Suncorp girl meets Christopher Walken.
Great budget for an airline that went bust and won’t refund my flights.
They should be crawling for Australia’s forgiveness.
“ DDB remains Virgin Australia’s creative agency of record.”
WTF does that mean?
This sucks. And good point @Unemployed. Makes it feel even yuckier.
Yawn
The other producer is 15 credits below the first producer and then the CEO.
Imagine being the team who came up with the idea
Why is she wearing Jetstar orange?
“They should be crawling for Australia’s forgiveness”
I find the ad excruciatingly painful too but posting comments about the kid’s physical appearance is shithouse.
This would’ve been cheaper as a Tiktok dance challenge. You friggin morons. #roflfail
Lower the curtain and mop up this mess.
OMG how many times do we have to watch dancing in empty spaces. Lazy, lazy, lazy! Did any of you even bother to watch Weapon of Choice, Kenzo World or Apple Homebod?
I posted a comment pointing out that this is john lewis by Dougal Wilson casting mixed with Spike Jonze Weapon Of Choice and it was deleted? It’s laziness on everyone’s part to blatantly steal from such obvious references. This could have been it’s own thing.
This is just a rip off of Little Miss Sunshine.
This is just the Uber Eats ad with a kid dancing.