Virgin Australia Launches Travel Media Network to Monetize Loyalty Data

Virgin Australia is developing its own retail media network, appointing Scott Moore as Head of Travel Media Network to lead the initiative. The ASX-listed airline is in the early stages of building an advertising ecosystem around its digital assets and loyalty program data.

Moore brings direct experience from commerce media technology provider Vantage, three years at McKinsey in New York leading retail media network builds for major clients, and prior work at VML. On LinkedIn, Moore noted he would bring "some Virgin flair" to the travel media space. Virgin Australia declined to officially comment on the appointment.

Virgin Australia Enters a Rapidly Expanding Media Category

The initiative centers on monetizing the airline's owned digital properties and its Velocity loyalty program, which already operates with approximately 80 commercial partners and more than 300 online stores. That existing partner network gives the Travel Media Network a pre-built advertiser base to activate from launch.

Nine Entertainment's Strategic Pivot: Radio Exit, Digital Outdoor Entry

Nine Entertainment divested its national radio network for A$56M while acquiring digital outdoor business QMS Media for A$850M. The strategic pivot signals a major shift toward data-driven advertising formats in Australia's media landscape.

Mission MediaMission Media

The appointment follows Virgin Australia's recent hiring of Andrew Cleary as Chief Customer Officer and CEO of Velocity. Cleary previously worked at Mandarin Oriental and brings customer experience and marketing technology expertise to the loyalty side of the business.

Retail media spending is forecast to grow 24.4% in 2026, according to WPP Media, with the channel projected to surpass total TV advertising revenue for the first time in 2027. Travel media network ad spend globally is projected to exceed US$2 billion by 2026.

Global Travel Brands Have Already Moved in This Direction

Virgin Australia is not the first travel brand to pursue this model. United Airlines launched Kinective Media in 2024, using in-flight entertainment screens, mobile apps, and first-party passenger data to sell access to its 145 million annual passengers. Partners include Norwegian Cruise Line and IHG Hotels.

Expedia Group Media Solutions, also launched in May 2024, operates across more than 200 websites in 70 countries. Marriott launched its own media network in 2022, using its Bonvoy loyalty program data to offer audience segmentation by travel frequency, spend tier, and destination preference.

Virgin Australia's loyalty-anchored approach through Velocity mirrors the Marriott model at a domestic Australian scale, using loyalty depth rather than raw booking volume as the primary advertiser draw.

Australia's Retail Media Market Is Moving Quickly

Domestically, Virgin Australia is entering an active competitive environment. Commonwealth Bank launched its 'Connect' retail media network in late 2024, becoming Australia's first banking-led retail media network. JB Hi-Fi announced plans for a retail media network across its 207 Australian stores in February 2025.

These non-travel entrants are competing for the same advertiser budgets that Virgin Australia's Travel Media Network will target. Virgin Australia's group spent US$419 million across commissions, marketing, and reservations in 2025, indicating the scale of customer engagement investment the airline already manages.

If successful, Virgin Australia would become one of the first major Australian travel brands to operate a dedicated retail media network. The company has not announced an official launch timeline.

APAC Regional Context Adds Strategic Weight

APAC is projected to surpass North America and Europe in retail media network dominance within five years, driven by mobile connectivity, youth markets, and population scale. China alone accounts for 37% of global retail media network spend by 2025.

Southeast Asia's mobile travel booking volumes doubled 2019 levels by 2025, according to Phocuswright, signaling the digital audience density that makes travel media networks commercially viable at regional scale.

Virgin Australia has not announced plans for regional expansion of the Travel Media Network beyond Australia.