• BrandChannel, Tuesday, August 10, 2010 10:47 AM

While Matt Rubel is breathing new life into old standbys, Sir Richard Branson continues to stretch the limits of his Virgin brand. It's "a name that represents almost anything you can imagine these days," Barry Silverstein writes, and Branson "continues to confound business media, impress investors, and delight consumers."

First, there's the new media brand, Maverick, which is being developed exclusively for the iPad. Then, there's the major social media initiative for Virgin Wines that will, says managing director Jay Wright, "allow every customer to communicate with us in a way that is most suitable and convenient to them."

Virgin Mobile India's "Music Unlimited" allows cell phone users to access a library of free music downloads they can use as ringtones or listen to in their entirety. Virgin Gaming is partnering with Ubisoft to offer a multi-player gaming tournament service with social networking, results verification and secure payments. Then there's Virgin Trains' video game for Google Street View and Facebook and Virgin Blue, Branson's domestic airline in Australia.

What Branson thinks he'll really be remembered for, he told Forbes the magazine, is totally far out: Virgin Galactic Airways. Strap me in.

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