The Magic Behind Virgin Atlantic's Marketing
Traveling to Success: How Virgin Atlantic Increased Revenue up to 922% with Movable Ink
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Challenge
Virgin Atlantic set the daunting goal of sending tens of thousands of unique, customer-centric emails. Their team consistently aims to increase engagement without overwhelming their resources so they can concentrate on more strategic marketing initiatives.
Solution
Implementing Movable Ink, Virgin Atlantic’s marketers have changed the way they build and execute their emails. This data-driven approach personalizes the customer experience and significantly boosts team efficiency. Additionally, they have seen a dramatic surge in performance across all fronts, particularly in revenue and customer loyalty.
The following case study reveals the full story behind Virgin Atlantic’s remarkable achievements and the exact strategies their marketers put in place to reach their biggest goals.
The Black Friday Advantage: Simultaneously Boost Bookings and Revenue
Last Black Friday, the stakes were higher than ever for Virgin Atlantic. With a surge in consumer spending and email driving a significant portion of online sales, grabbing customers’ attention was crucial. Their marketers rose to the challenge by launching a campaign that not only caught eyes but also perfectly met consumer expectations.
The campaign featured 16,921 variations, each finely tailored with the help of Movable Ink. The Virgin Atlantic marketing team used a blend of loyalty data, browsing behavior, historical booking data, previous email engagement, and social proofing, to create relevant messaging that resonated deeply with customers. Additionally, by focusing on dark mode to align with the "Black" Friday theme, the campaign provided a unique and visually striking touch.
This led to a significant increase in bookings compared to the previous year, with revenue from Black Friday Upper Class bookings skyrocketing by as much as 922%, setting a new benchmark for Virgin Atlantic’s marketing program.
Movable Ink Capabilities Used: Personalized Header Image, Social Proofing, Live Pricing
Results:
285% lift in bookings
241% lift in revenue
Pique their Interest: Capture Customer Attention During the Busy Season
During the peak travel season, Virgin Atlantic took a bold step to amplify engagement and sales. Over five weeks, the airline sent out six meticulously crafted emails to members, each tailored to reflect trending destinations and elevate brand awareness.
To enhance these efforts, the marketing team integrated several innovative tactics. Live pricing and dynamic imagery were made possible through their Everymundo API, allowing real-time updates that kept the content fresh and aligned with current offers. Dynamic weather charts displayed the forecast for each destination at the time of travel, enhancing the appeal of sunny getaways or cozy winter retreats. Social proofing elements, like customer testimonials and popularity metrics, helped build trust and urgency, while countdown timers encouraged quicker decision-making.
This bundle of personalized elements resulted in major success, with increases in both bookings and revenue.
Movable Ink Capabilities Used: Live Pricing Header Image, Personalized Destinations, and Countdown Timer
Results:
21% lift in bookings
10% lift in revenue
Loyal for Life: Enhance Customer Devotion and Retention
Virgin Atlantic’s loyalty program, Flying Club, marks each member’s first flight with a personalized email recapping their recent travel and inspiring future trips. The email's header image showcases the destination and cabin class they experienced, helping them reminisce their last getaway. For those planning their next adventure, the “Next Best Action”' feature destination offers suggestions based on their booking preferences.
This communication is also fine-tuned according to the member’s points balance. Those with over 20,000 points receive travel suggestions tailored to the cabin their points balance can afford, complemented by a “Points Plus Money” offer, while those with fewer points see monetary options. Members can also view their tier status benefits and a reward-seat availability checker, which connects to their reward seat API. The checker also integrates with the Everymundo API to display the availability of reward seats for the customer’s browsed routes over the next three months across all cabin classes, using a traffic light system to indicate low, good, or high availability.
Crafted in just two weeks, the campaign features over 1,260 personalized variations. It not only commemorates milestones but also enhances ongoing engagement and loyalty for Virgin Atlantic.
Movable Ink Capabilities Used: Personalized Header Image, Reward Flight Availability Image, and Live Pricing
Results:
59% lift in site visits
Key Takeaways from Virgin Atlantics's Data-Focused Strategy
- Implement automation tools that streamline marketing processes, freeing up time for teams to focus on strategic growth and creativity.
- Make each customer interaction uniquely relevant by using first- and zero-party data such as past interactions to enhance the marketing experience, boost loyalty, and drive revenue.
- Optimize strategic timing to meet consumer expectations and stand out during competitive peak periods to see lifts in engagement and conversions.
