‘I’ve had clouds, but I've had so many rainbows.’

The inspiring words of memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou, act as the soundtrack to Virgin Atlantic’s latest campaign; ‘A Rainbow in the Clouds’.

Building on the success of the ‘See the World Differently’ campaign, the work from Lucky Generals shifts the spotlight to where the airline can take you. The uplifting spot is filled with Virgin Atlantic's spirit of openness, positivity and optimism. 

At the heart of the campaign, a film shot by Nikolai Fuglsig, features rare archival audio of Maya Angelou talking about ‘being a rainbow in the clouds’ in a rare interview. 

Her words bring to life Virgin Atlantic’s spirit of travel, paired with the upbeat soundtrack of Daemon’s ‘Fired Up’ featuring Pastor TL Barrett’s ‘Nobody Knows’.

As audiences hear Angelou’s words, shots of customers and crew that showcase their individuality are shown. People stride through the airports to their destinations. A business traveller is shown giving a fan to someone in need. Crew and customers move through the world with ease and fun. 

To ensure authenticity and fully represent the diverse people that make up Virgin Atlantic’s customers and crew the team worked with The Diversity Standards Collective to ensure the people and places in the campaign were represented positively and progressively. 

The DSC’s Targeted Community Research and Testing Platform allowed Virgin Atlantic and Lucky Generals to conduct a series of Professional Community Councils across multiple countries in order to receive both industry experience and lived experience at key stages within the creative process.

The campaign spans the UK and US and is made up of film, OOH, press, digital and social developed in collaboration with PHD UK and Jellyfish.

Out of home shot by Tom Van Schelven features the crew in iconic red Vivienne Westwood uniform creating a literal rainbow in the clouds as they stride through New York. A takeover of London’s Bond Street tube station brought the work to life, giving commuters the opportunity to pack their bags and fly that weekend on a spontaneous trip to New York.

Building on the inspiring words of Maya Angelou to bring to life Virgin Atlantic’s brand ethos, the uplifting work is a celebration of the world around us and the people within it.

“When the world seems full of clouds, we need Maya Angelou to remind us how powerful it is to be a rainbow,” added Joe Stamp and Tom Prendergast, Creative Directors at Lucky Generals.