Brand Catalyst’s Blog

The news that Virgin is going to launch six one-stop health centres in 2008, hand-in-hand with the NHS, seems a very smart move indeed. Virgin Healthcare will manage the GPs’ budgets and sell additional services including therapies, dentistry and pharmacy. For any of us who have had to wait for our GP to get through their backed up list of appointments, the thought of a well managed clinic, with some interesting additional services sounds like a winner.

However, are there any implications of this venture for a brand that brings us such pleasures as holiday flights, music and TV, particularly when we fear that that lump we have recently noticed might be very bad news indeed?

Virgin has certainly always had to be trustworthy and reliable but never before has it asked people to put their lives in its hands. A very conspicuous partnership with the NHS will be required to ‘underwrite’ the ethical promise and the distinctly unpleasurable matters of ill health and mortality, allowing Virgin to focus on the lighter side of life.