What are the Marketing Initiatives used by Virgin Group?

Introduction

The name of the brand and its product offerings are the two key requirements for any brand in the market. It doesn’t matter how good your product is, how affordable your services are, or how well you take care of your customers, all of this will be in vain if customers are not aware of the brand name and its product offerings. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, understood this in the early 1970s.

In this article, we will dive deep into the birth and growth trajectory of Virgin Group and also the excellent marketing initiatives taken by Virgin Group to make ordinary things extraordinary.

Image 1 − The logo of Virgin Group

The Birth and Growth Trajectory of Virgin Group

The Virgin group was founded by Mr. Richard Branson in the 1970s. The brand initially started by signing up various unknown artists and using different and unique marketing strategies to sell them. Richard was a high school dropout but is excellent when it comes to business sense, marketing and selling skills, and the empathetic nature to understand what the market wants. Richard had this philosophy that his brand Virgin Group will enter every market that is underserved, where the competition is complacent and the customers are overcharged for the products or services.

Richard sold Virgin Records in 1992, and they started to enter various markets like Virgin Cola, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Pulse, Virgin Cosmetics, Virgin Vodka, Virgin Brides, and others. Not all the firms or start-ups owned by Virgin Group have been successful, but with the right marketing tactics and care for the environment, Richard Branson has been knighted by the Queen of England.

Virgin Group, in total, has more than 400 companies under its name. The diverse product portfolio line as well as the bold and innovative marketing techniques of Virgin Group have both been appreciated and looked down upon, but Virgin Group has always had the willingness to do better and seize the opportunity.

Excellent Marketing Initiatives by Virgin Group

Some of the amazing marketing initiatives by Virgin Group are as listed.

The Marketing Stunts by Virgin Group

Mr. Richard Branson did not believe in traditional marketing channels or working silently. With every launch of a new product line, he made sure to create noise. He always said that the media and news reporters will come to you only if you give them a reason to do so.

While launching Virgin Atlantic, the new name of the acquired British Airways, he dressed in World War I soldier attire, and the first flight from Britain to Canada had only celebrities and famous people onboard. During the air party, the flights of Virgin Atlantic champagne and food were flowing freely. This was a great publicity stunt and brought in a lot of gossip and bad press for the company.

While Branson launched Virgin Cola in the Market on New York's Fifth Avenue, he busted a Coca-Cola sign. The media and news reports came running to report the event, and Richard launched Virgin Cola.

In 2002, when Virgin Group launched its mobile phone business, Richard Branson plunged into Times Square from a crane. In 2004, Richard wore flesh-colored tights, placed the CD strategically positioned in a New York nightclub to launch Virgin Pulse in the market, and many more.

Image 2 − Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, one of the world's leading entrepreneurs.

Sales Promotion Initiatives by Virgin Group

Richard did not believe in traditional marketing channels or using data to understand the customer-devise marketing initiatives. Richard always believed that the best way to learn about its customers was by interacting with them. Understand their experiences, take feedback, and let them know how valuable they are to Virgin Group these are the three parameters for every interaction by Virgin Group.

Richard, when he launched Virgin Atlantic, made sure to call at least 50 customers every month and talk to them about their experiences.

Along with this, Richard also used to board planes or just interact with customers at the airport. This made sure to get real-time feedback, and the real-time remedy is done. For example, if a flight gets delayed, Richard would provide customers with discount coupons for their next flight from Virgin Atlantic or gift certificates for Virgin stores. These sales promotion activities or remedial actions showed the customers that Virgin Group cares for them, their time, and their comfort.

Cause Marketing Initiatives by Virgin Group

Group came up with Virgin Unite, which is a non-profit initiative by the company that tackles global, social, and economic problems in the world with an entrepreneurial approach. The initiative was started to reinvent the way we live and work to make the lives of the community better.

Virginia United has a team of dedicated scientists, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and social worker enthusiasts to make a difference. The initiatives by Virgin Unite are as diverse as those by Virgin Group. For example, the Virgin Green Fund invests in renewable energy and resource efficiency sectors. In 2007, Virgin Group also invented an Earth challenge. In this challenge, anyone from the general public who can come up with a safe, long-term, and commercially feasible solution to remove greenhouse gases will be awarded 25 million dollars by Virgin Group. Along with this, Virgin United, part of Virgin Group, works on other initiatives related to the betterment of society and the environment.

Conclusion

‘Lavish people with praise, and they will flourish if you criticize people, and they will sink into despair’ was the ideology of Richard. Richards has worked hard to create a brand that is not here in the market to only sell the products but is also a brand that cares about its customers and how they live in the environment. Virgin Group is not only dedicated to improving the standard of living of its customers by entering every underserved market in Britain but also the community in which it operates.

A lot of initiatives by Virgin Group have not been successful. Still, the relationship the customers have with the brand is priceless. With the right and unique marketing stunts, Virgin Group is not only winning the attention but the hearts of the customers. Virgin Group as a brand is flourishing and will continue to do so because of its customer-centric nature, opportunity-taking attitude, and innovative and fun marketing communications.