TABLE OF CONTENTS One of the most recognised names in the United Kingdom, Virgin is a brand that defies the odds and captures the imagination. Never before has a brand been so widely used in sectors that stretch across air travel, financial services, music, beverages, automobiles, telecommunications, retail and fashion. Although one may argue that Hanson, a British-American conglomerate, which makes bricks, cigarettes, industrial chemicals and food, and Proctor and Gamble (P&G), which is engaged in the production of toothpaste, shampoo, peanut butter, paper towels and drugs, are multi-national companies who are also involved in diverse industries, none of them are, however, in the same league as Virgin. Even the likes of Japanese keiretsu companies like Mitsubishi, which are engaged in the automobile industries, steel-making, consumer appliances, electronics and banking, and Yamaha (music and motorbikes) do not come close to the magic of the Virgin brand.
The reasons are obvious. Most consumers are either unaware or does not care about the name of the parent company. They buy Hugo Boss fashion and fragrances, use Pantene shampoo, Pampers diapers, and eat Pringles potato chips, but most do not know that Proctor and Gamble made them. Nor can they find P&G shampoo or P&G potato chips. The Virgin name and logo, by contrast, appears on a huge range of products. Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Cola, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Bride, Virgin Megastores, Virgin Direct and Virgin Books are just a few of the many diverse products that carry the Virgin brand name.
