Brands & Branding and Private Labels Case Study

The Virgin Group: Branding Ahead

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Abstract:
Richard Branson, the 56 year old creator of the Virgin brand, is a prime example of entrepreneurial success in global business. The Virgin group has created over 200 companies worldwide employing more than 25000 people with a sales turnover of $8.1 billion for the fiscal year 2005. It has become a byword for quality, innovation and a sense of competitive challenge. Virgin has delivered value for money to customers and used e-commerce activities to upgrade old products and services into new avenues for success. Virgin’s uniqueness lay in the fact that it had minimal management layers, no bureaucracy, a tiny board and no massive global HQ. Employees’ interests were always given the highest priority over those of customers and shareholders.

The issue Branson faced was to prioritise the challenges likely to crop up in the next decade. The case is structured to enable students to discuss: (1) the primary product groups; (2) marketing strategies; (3) the challenges likely to confront Virgin; and (4) the outlook for the future.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To analyse the strategies adopted by the Virgin group to succeed in different, and also unrelated, business areas
• To understand the marketing mix formulated for diverse product groups.

Keywords : Virgin Group, Richard Branson, Branding, Atlantic Airways, Market leadership, Trains, Cola, Brands & Branding Case Study, Virgin Mobile, Management strategy, Virgin Money, Entrepreneur, Merger, Business opportunity, Marketing, Strategies