The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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Date: Sep 2018
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Virgin Atlantic has inked a new partnership with Ryan Reynold's Aviation American Gin that will see the drink served on-board the airlines flights, but if the new ad is anything to go by the duo have different interpretations of the deal.

The tongue-in-cheek ad to promote the collaboration sees the pair sitting alongside each other.

Talking business with a tycoon like Branson is a prospect that would daunt even the savviest leader, so imagine you're Reynolds, a Hollywood actor and relatively fresh meat in the business world.

The video bears all the hallmarks of a corporate film, but it soon becomes clear from the dialogue that Reynolds is mistaken about what the "partnership" means.

Deadpan and staring into the camera, the Dead Pool actor says: "Virgin Atlantic and Aviation Gin are merging" before telling the camera "throw to me" and doing a long, slow clap. "Actually, Bryan this is more of a partnership announcement," quips Branson.

"At first," caveats Reynolds, increasingly irritating the Virgin boss. "As a business man I know all deals are about scale, scope, and scale. We're even more focused on ROI, KPI, 3PO, EPS and OMGWTF."

The ad culminates in Branson storming off set, after Reynolds questions which one of them will lead the combined entity - Avia-Virgin-Ation.

The jargon-ladden spot, scored by cheesy music, provides a comical antidote to the corporate announcements on the likes of LinkedIn and YouTube.

Speaking on the partnership, Branson said: “I’m delighted Virgin Atlantic is working with Ryan and his team on this partnership. Aviation Gin was born out of a spirit of innovation, so serving it on board Virgin Atlantic flights seemed like the perfect combination.”

Reynolds, added: “I’ve been a huge fan of Sir Richard Branson and Virgin for years. For Aviation to be chosen as the gin of choice for such an iconic and quintessentially British brand is a complete honor.

"We look forward to serving Virgin Atlantic guests for years to come and, on a personal note, Sir Richard has promised to teach me the difference between revenue and profit, so I am beyond excited.”