Virgin Voyages has long set out to deliver a different kind of cruise experience, one built on emotional connection, self-discovery and the spirit of the sea. That vision has come to life visually in the form of the mermaids: symbolic figures at the helm of each Lady Ship. Now, the brand is giving those icons voice and dimension with The Mermaids: A Virgin Voyages Tale, a fully AI-generated cinematic series developed in collaboration with creative agency Native Foreign.
The short film introduces Scarlet, Valiant, Resilient and Brilliant, four mermaids that embody different aspects of the Sailor experience and the human condition: passion, courage, resilience and wisdom. These characters have long stood as visual anchors in the Virgin Voyages world. With this series, they now serve as narrative tools that reflect how travelers move through their journeys, from bold adventure to inner growth.
“The story we’ve been telling since day one has always been about more than travel; it’s been about transformation,” said Bailey Edwards, Editorial Director at Virgin Voyages. “Our mermaids have always represented the soul of the sea and the emotional essence of who we are as a brand. Bringing them to life through this cinematic series allowed us to give depth and voice to that mythos – not just as a visual motif, but as characters who reflect the spirit and individuality of our Sailors. This is storytelling as brand architecture, and it’s only just the beginning.”
That long-held narrative has been embedded in the product experience from the beginning, visible in the design of the ships, the diversity of on-board programming, and the brand’s global itineraries. With three Lady Ships currently sailing from ports including Miami, Barcelona, Athens and San Juan – and Brilliant set to join the fleet this fall – the timing felt right to begin telling the full mermaid story. AI-enabled design and storytelling tools gave the brand the opportunity to do so with both creative flexibility and depth.
The result is a visually rich and emotionally resonant short film, guided by a character known as the “Mother of the Mystic Seas,” who connects the individual mermaid stories into a cohesive narrative.
Nik Kleverov, Chief Creative Officer of Native Foreign and director of The Mermaids film, adds, “The most exciting use of AI isn’t to just replace or replicate what we can do now on a regular shoot; it’s to dream big and bring imaginative concepts to life in entirely new ways.”
The project also reflects a broader shift in how Virgin Voyages is approaching brand-building: by using intelligent content systems and creative technologies to scale storytelling across channels and markets.
Behind the film is a wider transformation of Virgin Voyages’ marketing operations. The brand is integrating AI tools across creative development, messaging and content planning, with platforms like Jasper, Canva, OpenAI and Google Agentspace playing a role in streamlining workflows. These systems allow the company and its global network of First Mates (travel advisors) to produce high-quality, emotionally consistent content faster, while maintaining brand integrity and personalization.
“This campaign is a creative turning point for us,” said Billy Bohan Chinique, Senior Director of Global Brand Marketing and AI Transformation at Virgin Voyages. “It’s the first time we’ve had the tools to fully express the narrative that’s been built into our brand since launch – not as a one-off, but as a scalable, emotionally consistent platform. These mermaids allow us to connect brand story, product experience and guest identity in one cohesive system. That’s the real breakthrough. We’re not just telling a story, we’re building an architecture to tell it everywhere.”
The mermaids now serve as a bridge between brand and product, helping Virgin Voyages connect emotion and identity to every voyage, every destination and every Sailor’s journey. Their introduction marks the next step in a brand story that has always existed; one that AI has now helped bring to life in full.
The Mermaids: A Virgin Voyages Tale is now live on Virgin Voyages’ YouTube channel. Additional chapters will roll out leading up to the launch of Brilliant Lady.
