BB
Virgin are all hype, all David v Goliath, no substance. And in recent years they've been a failure in every single business they've moved into.
Erm...
Profits double at Virgin Atlantic
Click here for more
SciFi teams up with Virgin Comics; film based on Virgin comic already in the works, starring Nic Cage
Click here for more
Virgin Mobile USA defies slowdown in wireless communications market growth; gets 4.6 million customers in just four years
See Virgin Mobile USA website
Branson pledges 10,000,000 extra seats to meet rising demand on Virgin Trains
See Virgin website and National Audit Office report
Virgin Active announces completion of acquisition of Holmes Place health clubs - now one of Europe's most profitable health clubs
See Virgin website
Virgin Nigeria acquires 34 new aircraft in four year growth plan
Click here for more
Virgin Radio only national commercial radio station to increase audience in February 2007 RAJARs
Click here to confirm
Virgin Media revenues up
Click here for more
Hardly the measure of a brand that's supposedly "been a failure in every single business they've moved into". You may feel qualified to make a statement such as you did because you don't see Virgin Cola on sale at your local newsagent any more, but I'm afraid there's a bit more to the bigger picture than vacuous opinions based on a narrow field of observation and an obviously limited understanding of the real world.
I know it's a bit of an effort, but it's a good idea to check your facts before spewing out a load of unsubstantiated boIIocks. Otherwise, you just end up looking like an ignorant fool, as you do now.
p_c_u_k posted:
Virgin are all hype, all David v Goliath, no substance. And in recent years they've been a failure in every single business they've moved into.
Erm...
Profits double at Virgin Atlantic
Click here for more
SciFi teams up with Virgin Comics; film based on Virgin comic already in the works, starring Nic Cage
Click here for more
Virgin Mobile USA defies slowdown in wireless communications market growth; gets 4.6 million customers in just four years
See Virgin Mobile USA website
Branson pledges 10,000,000 extra seats to meet rising demand on Virgin Trains
See Virgin website and National Audit Office report
Virgin Active announces completion of acquisition of Holmes Place health clubs - now one of Europe's most profitable health clubs
See Virgin website
Virgin Nigeria acquires 34 new aircraft in four year growth plan
Click here for more
Virgin Radio only national commercial radio station to increase audience in February 2007 RAJARs
Click here to confirm
Virgin Media revenues up
Click here for more
Hardly the measure of a brand that's supposedly "been a failure in every single business they've moved into". You may feel qualified to make a statement such as you did because you don't see Virgin Cola on sale at your local newsagent any more, but I'm afraid there's a bit more to the bigger picture than vacuous opinions based on a narrow field of observation and an obviously limited understanding of the real world.
I know it's a bit of an effort, but it's a good idea to check your facts before spewing out a load of unsubstantiated boIIocks. Otherwise, you just end up looking like an ignorant fool, as you do now.
ZS
That remainds me. I was on holiday last week and I went to Virgin Megastores in Hull. On the top floor they had a Virgin cola vending machine. I walked up to it and saw on the buttons had Coca Cola, Fanta, and Sprite lables on it. I was wondering why. Are Virgin still doing the 2-litre bottles?
OV
To be fair, Virgin Radio is now owned by SMG, not Virgin. They just have an agreement to use the Virgin Brand.
BBC LDN posted:
Virgin Radio only national commercial radio station to increase audience in February 2007 RAJARs
Click here to confirm
Click here to confirm
To be fair, Virgin Radio is now owned by SMG, not Virgin. They just have an agreement to use the Virgin Brand.
ZS
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/a43366/sky-launches-marketing-blitz.html
The fight is hotting up. I think Sky have the cheek to mention 'Lost' in this ad.
http://images.digitalspy.co.uk/cable/library/160x120_sky_dontloselost.jpg
Even Digital Spy have the advert on their website.
EDIT: First it was (Don't lose LOST) then (Get JACK back) and (Bring HOMER home) I should have put a bet on that third one.
The fight is hotting up. I think Sky have the cheek to mention 'Lost' in this ad.
http://images.digitalspy.co.uk/cable/library/160x120_sky_dontloselost.jpg
Even Digital Spy have the advert on their website.
EDIT: First it was (Don't lose LOST) then (Get JACK back) and (Bring HOMER home) I should have put a bet on that third one.
PC
It's always good when a debate degenerates into childish namecalling.
Anyway, there's no real doubt that the businesses set up some time ago by Virgin were successes. The record label, the megastores, the airline.
But how many people do you know that have a Virgin mobile? Virgin Cola fell off a cliff. Virgin Trains is a licence to print money - and it's had a bad reputation over reliability (to be fair, as with all other train companies). And Virgin Radio has bugger all to do with Branson.
It's fair - they've not been a failure in everything, and you don't get anywhere without trying new ventures. It's a weak point. But I still feel Virgin's actions have not been what you expect of a professional company.
BBC LDN posted:
I know it's a bit of an effort, but it's a good idea to check your facts before spewing out a load of unsubstantiated boIIocks. Otherwise, you just end up looking like an ignorant fool, as you do now.
It's always good when a debate degenerates into childish namecalling.
Anyway, there's no real doubt that the businesses set up some time ago by Virgin were successes. The record label, the megastores, the airline.
But how many people do you know that have a Virgin mobile? Virgin Cola fell off a cliff. Virgin Trains is a licence to print money - and it's had a bad reputation over reliability (to be fair, as with all other train companies). And Virgin Radio has bugger all to do with Branson.
It's fair - they've not been a failure in everything, and you don't get anywhere without trying new ventures. It's a weak point. But I still feel Virgin's actions have not been what you expect of a professional company.
PE
six - inc the bf who is now plotting to get VM due to being so sick of Sky's price hikes and shoddy tech support for his digibox.
I liked Virgin Cola
well to be fair half of their problems were caused by being saddled with the clapped out WCML rather than one of the better networks. Plus when comparing their trains to the junk that GNER make you suffer on, I try to always get a Virgin booking if I can because I find their trains much more pleasant
Pete
Founding member
p_c_u_k posted:
But how many people do you know that have a Virgin mobile?
six - inc the bf who is now plotting to get VM due to being so sick of Sky's price hikes and shoddy tech support for his digibox.
Quote:
Virgin Cola fell off a cliff.
I liked Virgin Cola
Quote:
Virgin Trains is a licence to print money - and it's had a bad reputation over reliability (to be fair, as with all other train companies).
well to be fair half of their problems were caused by being saddled with the clapped out WCML rather than one of the better networks. Plus when comparing their trains to the junk that GNER make you suffer on, I try to always get a Virgin booking if I can because I find their trains much more pleasant
BR
They can charge what they like but it doesn't mean companies have to buy them!
There argument over investment is pathetic - it's like someone splashing out on a porsche or something then going to your boss demanding a pay rise to cover the cost.
And IF Virgin did cave into to the demands of allowing Sky to sell Sky One and the basic channels themselves directly to cable customers, I doubt Sky would actually offer a basic package. In fact, knowing Sky you'd probably have to subscribe to both Sky Sports and Sky Movies to get the channels.
p_c_u_k posted:
Sorry, the more I think about this the more it seems a bloody shambles.
They're both behaving like children, but Sky are the ones with the content. They're the ones with the better channels (Sky One versus anything the former Flextech had to offer - no question). It's their channels, and they can charge what the hell they want.
They're both behaving like children, but Sky are the ones with the content. They're the ones with the better channels (Sky One versus anything the former Flextech had to offer - no question). It's their channels, and they can charge what the hell they want.
They can charge what they like but it doesn't mean companies have to buy them!
There argument over investment is pathetic - it's like someone splashing out on a porsche or something then going to your boss demanding a pay rise to cover the cost.
And IF Virgin did cave into to the demands of allowing Sky to sell Sky One and the basic channels themselves directly to cable customers, I doubt Sky would actually offer a basic package. In fact, knowing Sky you'd probably have to subscribe to both Sky Sports and Sky Movies to get the channels.
ST
I agree Brekkie Boy, I think it's the same with any business, they can try charging whatever they like, but it's not sensible to charge more than people are prepared to pay (in this case VM).
However, I suspect that if Sky try to bundle the basic channels in with Movies/Sports on VM then people will be disgruntled unless the subs for VM's basic package weren't reduced accordingly.
Many are saying Sky won't like losing £60m in revenue, but if this continues for a while they will gain subscribers to their own service.
Furthermore, everyone seems to forget Sky had a spare £1bn to throw at ITV last year which it's doubtful they will ever recover in full unless the share price increases at an exponential rate!
Brekkie Boy posted:
They can charge what they like but it doesn't mean companies have to buy them!
I agree Brekkie Boy, I think it's the same with any business, they can try charging whatever they like, but it's not sensible to charge more than people are prepared to pay (in this case VM).
However, I suspect that if Sky try to bundle the basic channels in with Movies/Sports on VM then people will be disgruntled unless the subs for VM's basic package weren't reduced accordingly.
Many are saying Sky won't like losing £60m in revenue, but if this continues for a while they will gain subscribers to their own service.
Furthermore, everyone seems to forget Sky had a spare £1bn to throw at ITV last year which it's doubtful they will ever recover in full unless the share price increases at an exponential rate!
BB
It's always good when a debate degenerates into childish namecalling.
This isn't a debate - you were wrong.
Interesting, because yesterday, you insisted that every single business that Virgin had got involved in had been a failure.
Well, I can personally think of seven people with Virgin Mobile, myself not included as I'm with T-Mobile. However, Virgin Mobile has over five million customers within the UK alone, making it an extremely successful MVNO. Virgin Mobile USA has also grown massively over the last four years, far outstripping growth across the rest of the mobile sector in the US, and the brand also continues to operate with reasonable - if not stellar - success in Australia, Canada, France and South Africa.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the fact that you don't see Virgin Cola at your local newsagent doesn't make it a failure. Granted, it was something of a flash in the pan in the UK, but Virgin drinks continue to be sold profitably in 17 territories across the world, including the US, Japan and China.
Virgin Trains reliability has increased massively with the introduction of the new fleet of trains, with punctuality as low as 62% in 2002, rising to around 90% at the end of 2006. If Virgin Trains continues to have a bad reputation for its service performance, it's because people like you ignore the facts.
If that was the point you were trying to make - and it's a perfect valid opinion to put forward - you could have done so without making spurious claims without any basis in fact.
p_c_u_k posted:
BBC LDN posted:
I know it's a bit of an effort, but it's a good idea to check your facts before spewing out a load of unsubstantiated boIIocks. Otherwise, you just end up looking like an ignorant fool, as you do now.
It's always good when a debate degenerates into childish namecalling.
This isn't a debate - you were wrong.
p_c_u_k posted:
Anyway, there's no real doubt that the businesses set up some time ago by Virgin were successes. The record label, the megastores, the airline.
Interesting, because yesterday, you insisted that every single business that Virgin had got involved in had been a failure.
p_c_u_k posted:
But how many people do you know that have a Virgin mobile? Virgin Cola fell off a cliff. Virgin Trains is a licence to print money - and it's had a bad reputation over reliability (to be fair, as with all other train companies). And Virgin Radio has b****r all to do with Branson.
Well, I can personally think of seven people with Virgin Mobile, myself not included as I'm with T-Mobile. However, Virgin Mobile has over five million customers within the UK alone, making it an extremely successful MVNO. Virgin Mobile USA has also grown massively over the last four years, far outstripping growth across the rest of the mobile sector in the US, and the brand also continues to operate with reasonable - if not stellar - success in Australia, Canada, France and South Africa.
As I mentioned in my previous post, the fact that you don't see Virgin Cola at your local newsagent doesn't make it a failure. Granted, it was something of a flash in the pan in the UK, but Virgin drinks continue to be sold profitably in 17 territories across the world, including the US, Japan and China.
Virgin Trains reliability has increased massively with the introduction of the new fleet of trains, with punctuality as low as 62% in 2002, rising to around 90% at the end of 2006. If Virgin Trains continues to have a bad reputation for its service performance, it's because people like you ignore the facts.
p_c_u_k posted:
It's fair - they've not been a failure in everything, and you don't get anywhere without trying new ventures. It's a weak point.
But I still feel Virgin's actions have not been what you expect of a professional company.
If that was the point you were trying to make - and it's a perfect valid opinion to put forward - you could have done so without making spurious claims without any basis in fact.
BF
Matter of ones option Brainiac is borderline genius (for nerds like me) and the simpsons is arguebly the greatest tv show ever..
But you can just pay £50 to termante the Virgin contact... really? I'll pay and switch to sky in that case....but I am giving it a few weeks see what happens because brainiac doesn't come back til later in the year so I am sitting on it for now.
Nini posted:
For two fairly average (and a bit repetitive) programmes, you'd pay £5-7 a month? Fair enough, though if I were you I'd pay the £50 disconnection fee to VM and have done with it.
Matter of ones option Brainiac is borderline genius (for nerds like me) and the simpsons is arguebly the greatest tv show ever..
But you can just pay £50 to termante the Virgin contact... really? I'll pay and switch to sky in that case....but I am giving it a few weeks see what happens because brainiac doesn't come back til later in the year so I am sitting on it for now.