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RICHARD BRANSON IS the quintessential self-made, off-the-wall entrepreneur.
He’s never stopped doing things differently over his 40-plus-year career, from dropping out of school to run a magazine to buying his own island — not to mention starting a commercial airline from scratch and kite-surfing across the English Channel in his 60s.
Today he’s worth an estimated €4.5 billion and is the chairman of the eclectic Virgin Group of businesses.
In his book “The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership,” Branson writes that his love of a crazy marketing stunt or world record attempt is just an extension of the way he runs his businesses.
“The problem is that being told ‘You’d have to be pretty crazy to even think about doing that’ has to me always been like the proverbial red flag to a bull,” he writes.
Branson’s unparalleled marketing savvy was on display once again this week as he rode a massive truck into Dublin’s RDS at a Virgin media event on Thursday.
We’ve collected together some of his more outlandish publicity stunts, below…
Because he lost a bet with Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes over which of their Formula One teams would beat the other, Branson agreed to dress in drag. Vincent Thian
Vincent Thian
Branson is never one to turn down an opportunity for posing with a model. This was to launch the Virgin.net Broadband service in 2002. EMPICS Sports Photo Agency
EMPICS Sports Photo Agency
Another attention grabbing idea... Branson launched his new mobile phone service in London with a controversial PR stunt using naked models hidden behind sofa cushions. EMPICS Sports Photo Agency
EMPICS Sports Photo Agency
Here he is re-launching Virgin Atlantic's service on the Mumbai-London route, in Mumbai. Rajanish Kakade
Rajanish Kakade
That's him again, pictured with the Masai Mara as they make him a Triblal Elder for bringing prosperity to the land. He was in Kenya to promote Virgin Atlantic's daily service to Nairobi.
PA WIRE
PA WIRE
Making a successful attempt on the record for crossing the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle. In 2004. EMPICS Sports Photo Agency
EMPICS Sports Photo Agency
Jumping into a swimming pool after pretending to capture supermodel/actress Karolina Kurkova. God knows why. This was in Miami Beach in 2011. Associated Press
Associated Press
And just wearing the pants. PA ARCHIVE IMAGES
PA ARCHIVE IMAGES
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Labour a bit like our own, pretend to be sympathetic and be the voice for the working class, yet when in power, o difficult decisions will have it be made. A conservative landslide is likely when they eventually put in a motion of no confidence against this travesty. Stammer the worst Labour PM since Ramsay MacDonald
@Alan: the Tories ran the country in to the ground for over a decade. That Labour would actually try and fix that by taxing the people that can afford it isn’t the “travesty” you think it is. The Tories are trying to paint this budget as crippling the working class but that’s, once again, is an utter lie.
What is this talk of Labour having promised not to raise taxes? Let’s be clear what they promised was not to raid Texas, and so far they have honoured that!
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