VisualTargeting® /// Richard Branson



SUPPORTERS Rory Sutherland Sir Richard Branson Malcolm Gladwell Barry Schwartz Tony Robbins Al Gore WORLDWIDE PARTNERSHIP		SIR RICHARD BRANSON /// "Life at 30,000 Feet" How Richard Branson Supports VisualTargeting^® In this heartwarming interview, global innovator and Founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson, reminds us of our responsibility to "radically change other people's lives for the better." He explains the value of inspiration and attraction, stating, "If I'm not interested in something, I just don't grasp it," and furthermore that building "a company is all about inspiring and drawing out the best in the right people." He goes on to teach that "if you treat people well, they will come back for more." Bringing the world-renown Virgin Airlines as an example, Branson exclaims "I love taking on the status quo and turning it upside down... If I fly on somebody else's airline and find the experience was not a pleasant one... then I think, well maybe I can create the kind of airline that I'd like to fly on." Reminding us that "there is a very thin dividing line between success and failure," just like the nearly invisible line between Visual Attraction and Repulsion, he reflects that while the Virgin brand stands for quality, "we have a lot of fun and I think the people who work for it enjoy it... We go in and shake up other industries and we do it differently, and the industries are not quite the same as a result of Virgin." Indeed, the Virgin brand sets a new standard of visual experience and appeal, as anyone who has flown on the unprecedentedly beautiful, mood lit, lounge like, Virgin Airlines can attest to. Not only is the entire customer service experience seamless, the visual environment that Branson created for Virgin Airlines has turned what was previously quite literally an Air Bus, into a comparatively lavish Sky Lounge on wings. In fact, taking a closer look at the Virgin brand, one will find an intense attention to Visual Appeal and stimulation, and working hand in hand with, in Branson's words, "genius designer," Philippe Starck on many of Virgin's most recent designs didn't hurt, looking at Virgin Galactic. Branson is a living testament to the power of VisualTargeting®, as the markets and countries have gladly embraced and awarded his exciting designer brands for decades, and it looks like he's just getting started. Branson takes ordinary, boring industries, and turns them into irresistibly attractive experiences, without ever neglecting the power of intensely satisfying visual design. In many ways, Richard Branson's achievements with the Virgin group are the epitome of visual excellence, and his commitment remains to not just satisfying, but indulging the markets' Visual Tastes and desires. Thus, Richard Branson has built one of the only companies that lives and breathes the fundamentals of VisualTargeting®, and he is handsomely rewarded by the worldwide consumer marketplace for always going above and beyond, to show them exactly what they want to see. About The Speaker *TED.com About Sir Richard Branson, Entrepreneur.** "Richard Branson bootstrapped his way from record shop owner to head of the Virgin empire. Now he's focusing his boundless energy on saving our environment. He's ballooned across the Atlantic, floated down the Thames with the Sex Pistols, and been knighted by the Queen. His megabrand, Virgin, is home to more than 250 companies, from gyms, gambling houses and bridal boutiques to fleets of planes, trains and limousines. The man even owns his own island. And now Richard Branson is moving onward and upward into space (tourism): Virgin Galactic's Philippe Starck designed, The first Burt Rutan engineered spacecraft, The Enterprise, completed its first captive carry in early 2010 and is slated to start carrying passengers into the thermosphere at $200,000 a ticket. Branson also has a philanthropic streak. He's pledged the next 10 years of profits from his transportation empire, an amount expected to reach $3 billion, to the improvement of renewable alternatives to carbon fuels. And then there's his Virgin Earth challenge, which offers a $25 million prize to the first person to come up with an economically viable solution to the greenhouse gas situation. *http://www.ted.com/speakers/richard_branson