If there is one thing which can be said about Virgin Atlantic's Boss - Sir Richard Branson, then it is that he has a very personal, very unconventional and a very effective branding style. And, this week's cover story of the Fast Company Magazine happens to acknowledge that -
Quote:
Billionaire Richard Branson has thrived by breaking the rules. Now he's tackling his greatest challenge, setting his sights on the United States and a new airline. He's testing himself and the limits of the Virgin brand.
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Another very interesting quote from this article is about the way Branson responds to ideas [and, turns them into money machines] -
Quote:
Branson especially hates to say no when he likes the people who propose ideas. Virgin Bride was the brainchild of one of his flight attendants, who wound up running the London wedding superstore. When Branson's wife Joan's manicurist suggested offering massages and nail treatments to Virgin's first-class passengers, he created Virgin Touch and put the manicurist in charge of it. Even the Virgin Web site solicits proposals for new business ideas.
The person Branson admires most in the world is his friend Nelson Mandela, who has been an accidental scout for new ventures. Mandela told him that a big chain of health clubs had gone bankrupt in South Africa and 5,000 people were about to be put out of work. He asked if Branson could come down the next day and save their jobs. Branson got on a plane, looked over the books, and decided it was a very good business. Now Virgin owns around 85% of the health clubs in South Africa.
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Here's the link to the story -
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/87/branson.html
So, what is your opinion on Barson's way of branding himself and his company?
10-31-2004, 07:21 AM
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