1. When founder Richard Branson is no longer at the helm (and in the news), do you believe Virgin will be able to continue its forays into radically different brand extensions? What strategies can the Virgin Group employ to assure continued brand success after Branson is out of the picture? Should those strategies be implemented now or after the founder’s departure?

2. In this chapter, you learned about Aaker’s five dimensions of brand equity. Assess the Virgin brand on the basis of these dimensions. With these dimensions in mind, what steps could the Virgin Group take to increase brand equity even further?

3. Is the Virgin experience with brand extensions an anomaly or are there lessons that could be applied to any brand wanting to expand this way?