Virgin turns problem into a PR masterstroke

This story about a letter of complaint to Richard Branson shows the strength of the Virgin brand and provides good insight into how Virgin truely understand how to manage the customer brand experience.

It works on many levels.

Richard Branson telephones a loyal but hacked-off customer. This action alone probably turned that customer into an advocate.

Virgin’s PR machine then goes into overdrive. They circulate the letter and talk about the telephone call.

It's brilliant.

At a stroke Virgin have turned a loyal but disaffected customer into a likely advocate and created an awesome PR story.

All brands should take note. Brands organisations need to have systems in place that can effectively handle customer problems because, when handled elegantly, it is possible to transform unhappy customers into powerful advocates.