Virgin Trains has scored a double marketing triumph with a cheeky newspaper ad cashing in on the tabloid mania surrounding the split of TV reality stars Peter Andre and Katie Price.
The advertisement set it sights on wooing readers with a headline quip saying that the train operator would get Peter back with Katie faster than a magazine deal, followed by a list of fares and journey times to its leading destinations from London.
And for an added splash of tongue-in-cheek, the ad continues on the theme of magazine deals by starting out saying Hello and finishing by saying OK.
The advertisement has not only caught the direct attention of its readers, but is already beginning to catch the eye of the national press.
The Virgin campaign is a great example of quick marketing thinking and also how the marketing disciplines of advertising and PR can work together in harmony.
It is designed not only to tell prospective customers about its great fare deals, but also to raise a few eyebrows and get people talking about the ad in order to spread the campaign message even further.