The four P's -- people, product, price and promotion -- are often cited as the keys to a successful business. Yet this list omits a vital ingredient that has characterized Virgin companies throughout our 40 years: Fun, with a capital F.
When we started Virgin Atlantic in 1984, we had some great people and lots of good ideas about how to do things differently . Sadly, we did not have a lot of money to take it to the streets. Compared to the giant establishment players of the time -- TWA, Pan-Am and British Airways -- we had a tiny fleet, if one plane qualifies as a fleet, and a miniscule advertising budget.
We could not do much about the single plane -- leased from a generous man at Boeing. We had to make the most of our meager marketing money. At the urging of the late Sir Freddie Laker, who made an art form of grabbing the limelight for his airline, I quickly became a willing victim in all kinds of wild and crazy adventures to promote the fledgling Virgin Atlantic. You couldn't buy a quarter-page ad on the front of The New York Times, but when my sinking boat or crashing balloon just happened to feature the distinctive Virgin logo, there we were.
We also started to run some funny, pretty direct and usually highly topical advertisements to grab the public's attention.
Such "in your face" ads were largely unknown in the stodgy world of airlines, so our approach quickly gained us notoriety, press coverage and, above all, visibility. The humor stood out against our moribund competitors, and soon Virgin Atlantic itself -- not just the ads --became synonymous with a cheeky and upstart personality and, more importantly, a fresh, different approach to commercial aviation.
Marketing teams in London and New York frequently reacted quickly to the day's news and, within 24 hours, placed tactical-response advertisements in key markets. The day after John Sununu, then White House chief of staff, was castigated for using public money for a limousine to take him on personal trips, Virgin ran a one-off ad saying if only he had booked Virgin Atlantic, he would have gotten the limo for free!
When Gen. Manuel Noriega, the former leader of Panama, was extradited to Miami for trial, we ran a big picture of him, with the caption, "Only one person has flown to Miami cheaper than on Virgin Atlantic!"
Sometimes the ads were close to the bone, especially when tweaking the tail of our favorite adversaries, like British Airways. Always, they were irreverent and cheeky. The ads gave the airline a real personality in its early years, which was a key to its success and growth.
Our staff also liked the humor, and the sense of fun. They felt proud to be associated with a company that made people smile and that was seen as a good place to work. We made sure the same spirit ran through everything we did; it was not confined to the cute advertisements. It was crucial that we created an enjoyable atmosphere for crew and passengers alike, at 30,000 feet.
Little touches signified you were on a Virgin flight. Underneath the salt and pepper shakers, modeled on mini-airplanes, we stamped "Pinched from Virgin Atlantic." The butter knife was engraved with the words "stainless steal." We put a bar in the upper class cabin so people could chat and socialize – after all, travelling should be fun!
To entertain our passengers, we were the first to put in seat-back televisions. We served ice cream in the middle of the flights. We did everything we could to lighten the mood and the experience. Twenty-five years later, the airline retains that same sense of fun and the ability to surprise and make people smile.
When British Airways sponsored London's Millennium Wheel in the late 1990s, they planned to make a big splash for the official opening. On the day the wheel was to be raised, the engineers had great trouble lifting it. We jumped at the chance to cause a stir. We scrambled a small airship to drag a banner across London's skyline emblazoned with "BA can't get it up." It was cheeky, all right, and we – not BA – grabbed the headlines that night.
This sense of humor and risk-taking has infused many of our other businesses. Virgin Mobile Canada produced a series of memorable advertisements poking fun at famous people. When Elliot Spitzer, the former governor of New York, resigned over a sex scandal, where he was identified as "client No. 9," our ads that week showed a picture of Spitzer with a thought bubble proclaiming: "I'm tired of being treated like a number."
The ads were all about Virgin Mobile's personalized service. They went on to say: "At Virgin Mobile, you're more than just a number. When you call us, we'll treat you like a person, not a client. Whether you're No. 9 or No. 900, you'll get hooked up with somebody who'll finally treat you just how you want to be treated."
Another ad in the series showed Hillary Clinton with a thought bubble saying, "I wish my bill wasn't so out of control."
These ads ran for only short periods of time, but they were picked up in the media and raised the profile of the company and the service.
My books' titles continue the theme -- "Losing My Virginity," "Screw It, Let's Do It" and "Business Stripped Bare." Publishers, however, vetoed "Getting It Up" for my latest book on the history of flight and went for "Reach for the Skies." We'll see how it sells!
Over the years I have launched our companies while dressed costumes to amuse our staff, our partners and the press. I have thrown myself off tall buildings, hung off bridges, driven tanks into Times Square and plunged (usually involuntarily) into oceans -- all to grab attention and reinforce a sense of fun.
All of it has definitely made an impression and infused that "Virgin feeling" into new ventures. While it is not enough just to be the joker in the pack, if your service and product excel, then making people smile will help you establish a place in their hearts as well as their minds.
Try taking yourself and your business less seriously. You may be surprised that many others will take you more seriously.
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Comments:
Fun, a really important tip for a business
wow... fun can really be so serendipitious... great thought into action...
If only more people had this type of "be different", "get on the edge", and "have fun" approach! Even if your product or service does not make it commerically, (that's a separate issue) people remember! And last I checked, rememberance "is" impressions!
Go on Bro. Obinna. I would like to know more about your magazine. What is the content? How about your funding. I'm A Nigerian based in Malaysia. Reach me at ezeblaise@gmail.com
This gives me more confidence. I'm generally a cheerful person but recently i've been wondering whether that cheerfulness isn't making people take our projects seriously. I and my friends are starting a youth magazine in college and now that I know that fun isnt bad, we'll be doing more while enjoying ourselves. :)
Wow, that was an amazing read. Im 25 and from Ireland and it's after giving me that push to go out and start a business and have fun. Thanks Richard and all those below that commented. Good look with your future venyures. Kennethkinsella@yahoo.com
kudos sir, i saw you pooling someone into a pool in Ghana on TV the day you launched virgin Ghana and i was dumb founded for about a minutes that a billionaire having such fun openly on TV.it was a big push for me as a young entrepreneur. There and then i followed you on twitter.I WISH MORE OF SUCH BUSINESSES OF YOURS ENTER THE VIRGIN GHANAIAN ECONOMY WHERE OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND.
I wouldn't hesitate working for a company releasing the book ''Getting it up.'' Sir RB makes me want to work for Virgin group, too bad I am not looking for a job now. Perhaps some part time, consulting project:)
Sheeeez, everyone knows there are actually *six* P's of Marketing, not four. Sir Branson forgot "place," and that sixth one ("process," "packaging," "passion," depending upon who you ask). But who's counting, and last time I checked, Sir Richard is doing AOK with that little business of his. Kidding aside, Great post, great company, great guy. Every company should be -- and have -- as much fun. P.S. If you haven't flown Virgin Upper Class, find a way. It's one of the precious few experiences that gives the frequent traveler hope and sanity. Michael Hess CEO, Skooba Design Columnist, BNET
Truth in this, yet not so simple. Experiencing genuine/authentic Fun in one's life demands one lives in alignment w/ their innate gifts/dispositions... "performing teams" (artists and athletes as artists who I have work extensively with) - have discovered (somehow, or been discovered), mined, nurtured, trained - are, in fact, living their innate "Self" as do all great entrepreneurs, e.g. Mr. Branson. The magic, missing and ubiquitous educational literacy that is missing concerns learning to recognize and value our innate, natural & unique gift & disposition -based "Self"; and only from this conscious knowledge foundation (starting early) can authentic and YOUnique gift-expressed Fun be had… and had “On-Purpose.”
The four P's of marketing needs a major revamp, I guess. Yes, it's all about fun and innovation these days. So, I wonder if they will also do something I saw on the Web a few weeks ago where flight stewardess dance their way in teaching passengers about safety and stuff.
If it's not fun, then it's not worth doing.
Richard I learn something new every time I read your post. Keep on keeping on, sir.
This is what is missing in business. People want to have fun and they want to see that you are human. What a great way to relate to an audience.
Richard Branson is the man! His personality comes out in everything that he does. He has rolled the dice many times and has rarely crapped out. I'm buyin' in. Having fun in your business keeps everyone more engaged and motivated. When you can genuinely be happy in your work environment, great things will happen.
If you're not having fun with your business, perhaps it's time to do something else. What I like most about the Virgin campaigns is that you (and your team) have maintained a human-to-human relationship. People like to have fun... laugh, love, live, etc... emotional branding. It's awesome! Keep up the great work ;-)
I agree, everybody work better if they're happy ... :-)
Hey, he's a billionaire so he's doing something right, don't you agree?!
Indeed doing business by heart, makes it FUN...it is by believing and knowing that your product works makes you brave enough to just enjoy every step of the way in building up your business. Two thumbs up for you Richard, you have well said it again. Can't wait to read your next article. genmarchan@gmail.com
Love your zest for life. It is really all about the FUN. Hope that maybe one day I will get to fly Virgin Atlantic for the fun of it. Too bad you don't fly to my Virgin Islands. lol
I've laughed out loud while reading your post. It's genius. Hey, I would have bought "Getting It Up" ... ;-D .. Thanks for sharing your insightful and down to earth advise.
Many people in business forget the importance of having fun during their business days. Many things are just taken way too seriously. It is certainly sad indeed. However, some companies know when their employees and associates are having fun, able to respond naturally to their own body rhythms and abilities, that the people will do and excel better. (Note: the Google employee and associates culture.) My challenge as a corporate entertainer is to sell my clients on having fun, to value being amazed. Sometimes this kind of diversion in ones thinking can bring about the spark of a breakthrough idea or solution even to a difficult problem or project. Heck your article today Richard is like taking the minds of the reader and giving it some much needed sunshine. People don't wanna just work; they crave having some fun during the process of working their jobs, etc. That's human nature. It's what has helped me to build my brand now as a magician and illusionist and master balloon crafts person for the past fifteen years. In my opinion, if you can make people smile and take their minds off of their problems even for a brief amount of time then you'll stand a much better chance of getting business going with them. Like it happened with you Richard, even starting with that one plane. Merlin.magic@hotmail.com
I cant help but smile as I read your post, Richard. I've just got on board Entrepreneur.com website and I find myself glued to your posts. It must be fun (with some feelings of fear sometimes, I guess) to do what you do. I've also started a company, and you have been inspiration to me. =)