Hang Gliding Goat Reaches New Heights in Latest Virgin Media Campaign

Virgin Media is today releasing the second instalment of its ‘To Better and Beyond’ creative platform, which sees a new protagonist with an unstoppable spirit, the Goat Glider, take the spotlight to embody Virgin Media’s superior WiFi Guarantee.

In partnership with VCCP London, Virgin Media has created its new integrated brand campaign to showcase the company’s new ethos and tagline ‘See What You Can Do’ – all with Virgin Media’s ultrafast broadband.

The film opens on a herd of goats stuck on a remote mountainside, each stumbling around on the precipice. As the 80’s classic song, 'St Elmo's Fire’ by John Parr kicks in, the wheels of a hang glider come into view travelling across the rocky mountain terrain. As the glider gathers speed, a plucky goat is revealed as the pilot, and reaching the edge of the mountain, it takes off, soaring off into the skies. Having found a better way to the rest of the herd, the camera pans to its joyful face, at the same time the voiceover reveals the campaign strapline, “Why stumble when you can soar?”

Inspiring the nation to reach their fullest potential and never settle for less, the campaign reflects Virgin Media’s promise to never stop in its quest to make things better for its customers and challenge the status quo. Virgin Media offers the UK's fastest WiFi Guarantee of any major provider, promising customers minimum download speeds of 20Mbps in every room or money back.

The bold and playful campaign will roll out throughout the UK across multiple platforms, airing on 7th July during ITV’s new Black British drama 'Riches' and will lead with a hero 60” film directed by celebrated Director, Sam Brown. Following the success of the award-winning Highland Rider, Virgin Media and VCCP London collaborated with Emmy and Bafta award-winning Untold Studios again to create the courageous mountain goats.  

Built in CGI, the mountain goat will feature across a number of upcoming brand and trading campaigns across multiple formats.

Simon Valcarcel, marketing director at Virgin Media O2 said: “Our latest campaign highlights the truly unstoppable spirit of the Virgin Media brand and our ambitions to provide our customers with the very best connectivity to help them reach new heights. Through our market-leading WiFi Guarantee, we want our customers to truly feel like they can do anything in life – like our hang-gliding goat.”

David Masterman, deputy executive creative director at VCCP London added: “Picking up from where our Highland Cow left off, we wanted to dramatise the unstoppable power of Virgin Media's broadband with the story of a goat who leaves his stumbling herd behind to take to the skies in a hang glider."

‘Goat Glider’ runs from today until 22nd October across TV, BVOD, Social, Retail, co.uk, The O2. MG OMD handled the media planning and buying for the campaign.