Virgin Atlantic '25 years, still red hot' - even during a recession.

Nice example of how nostalgia as an adveritisng genre can be used to great effect during a recession. The ad is packed with references to 1980s Britain, from a yuppie with a giant mobile phone, dodgy haircuts to an Asteroids videogame machine. It cheekily implies that Virgin has always had the sexiest cabin crew of any airline.

The message reinforces how Virgin changed the face of airline travel, becoming the first real challenger to BA. The ad capitalises on Virgin Atlantic's heritage and its controversial, sexy and pioneering spirit, but looks forward. It's fun, sexy and lifts the viewer from the gloomy times of now to position Virgin as the airline of future; when the good times come again.