Virgin Group unveils social networking-style portal

by Sarah Crawley-Boevey, Brand Republic 11-Aug-09, 15:35

LONDON - The Virgin Group has relaunched its umbrella website to allow customers to make comments, write blogs and upload videos and photos and will reward them for doing so with prizes and incentive scheme points.

Virgin.com has adopted a range of concepts traditionally seen on social networking sites and will allow users to create their own profile and meet like-minded people while posting and rating content.

Everyone who contributes to the site will be eligible to collect points and prizes redeemable on Virgin products.

The website, which was developed in partnership with New York-based website design specialist Rokkan, has incorporated Facebook Connect so users can publish their Virgin.com activity into their Facebook News Feed.

The site will share news and stories from Virgin companies around the world and let people know about the latest deals and offers available.

Users can rate articles and comments by deciding if they want to Rock it, Knock it or simply say 'Meh'.

The more an article is given positive feedback the quicker it will rise to the top of the list and so feature on the Virgin.com homepage.

Likewise as user posts gain in popularity so their author can gain points and rewards in return for their growing popularity on the site.

Richard Branson, who is continuing his blog on the website, said the move gives the Virgin brand over to the community that have helped build it over the last 40 years.

Branson said: "Virgin customers are a forward thinking, like-minded bunch, so I’m really excited to see what we can achieve when they start socialising with each other online -- no matter where in the world they are located."