Virgin Plus Advertisement

I stumbled across this advertisement from Virgin Plus (formerly Virgin Mobile) in Aberdeen mall in Kamloops. This advertisement for their service promises double the data cap if a customer brings their current cell phone. It was created to advertise to students going back to school this autumn. Some students may already have a cell phone, so this promotion is designed to attract consumers who do not need a new phone. They are trying to capture the market of consumers contract-free with their current carrier.

The photo is taken in daylight near noon with shadows underneath the two characters who have interrupted or finished their recreational fun to stop and watch a video. The centre of the advertisement and the characters’ gaze is on a cell phone, held by a young person with a red shirt. The phone’s content is not shown, but it must be entertaining as the characters are smiling and laughing. Both are wearing colourful clothing. The woman wears the brand colour, and the second character wears a bright orange hat. There is multi-coloured graffiti in the background. The bright red colour brings the seer’s gaze to the phone in the centre. The young man’s right finger points down to the centre’s right, bringing the focus back to the cell phone. The background of most of the photo is the grey pavement of the recreational area with a dark green tree or bush rounding out the top-right and the graffiti top-left. The muted pavement and the dark green bush make for good contrast between the background and the bright and bold foreground.

The image depicts a realistic setting of some friends spending quality time together, taking a break from the quality time, and watching a fun video. The characters are young and active, and the advertisement is meant to attract students going back to school to sign up for a plan with Virgin Plus. Some of this audience may not have the money to commit to another new phone or buy one outright; they are additionally trying to capture the market on students needing a lot of data but already have a good phone that doesn’t need replacing.

I believe the advertisement effectively conveys its message to students returning to school; these characters are relatable to many students. It may not be as effective with students who don’t enjoy group or recreational activities. Overall though, I would say this ad is convincing because of the lighthearted nature of the scene and the no-nonsense approach to the amount of text on the advertisement.

I found this advertisement displayed on a purpose-built advertising screen in the Aberdeen Mall. It is very noticeable because it is surrounded by nothing but the surrounding floor, in the middle of the walkway. The effect the image has on me is positive. First, my eyes are drawn to the red colour and then immediately to the big smile of the lead character with their gaze towards the phone. I can’t help but feel at ease and generally pleasant.

I do have Virgin as my provider, so I recognized the brand. They have a relatively good image as a mobile provider; in Canada, they are a subsidiary of Bell Canada (Bell Acquires All of Virgin Mobile Canada | CBC News, n.d.). However, in 2005, Virgin’s founder, Richard Branson, interacted in a chauvinistic way towards three actors playing a caricatured set of nurses as part of an advertising stunt, supporting a medical cause. Some have said this was demeaning to nurses and women (Regan, 2005). I doubt any mobile provider would try that in 2021.

In ““Be Careless with That!” Availability of Product Upgrades Increases Cavalier Behavior Toward Possessions”, the authors critique the mobile industry’s irresponsible behaviour on drawing consumers to new products even while their current phones are working perfectly (Bellezza et al., 2017). This advertisement seems to take a hint from that general critique of the industry and presents a more responsible image of bringing your existing phone, not just consumption for consumption’s sake. I believe that as environmental concerns around cell phone manufacturing grow, so too will most, if not all, mobile providers focus on ecological sustainability.

References

Bellezza, S., Ackerman, J. M., & Gino, F. (2017). “Be Careless with That!” Availability of Product Upgrades Increases Cavalier Behavior Toward Possessions. Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), 54(5), 768–784.

Bell acquires all of Virgin Mobile Canada | CBC News. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bell-acquires-all-of-virgin-mobile-canada-1.810166

Regan, M. (2005). Virgin’s nurses and the public image of nursing. Nursing Philosophy, 6(3), 210–212.