Virgin mobile off to an innovative start

The launch of Virgin Mobile, the mobile phone business developed by Start Design, has seen a number of brand and product innovations introduced by the Virgin Group.

By developing a mobile telephone business on the back of One2One’s network, Virgin can now effectively leverage products and services offered by the Virgin Group directly to an existing base of customers.

Virgin brands such as travel services, food and drink, merchandise and clothing are all to be targeted at consenting phone users by e-mail.

Two product innovations for hands-free sets are also being launched with the service. The first is a credit card-shaped unit, with retractable ear plug, which will be a standard free accessory with all phones. By pressing a button the cable winds back in, leaving the ear plug in its clip-on housing. The new headset has been designed by Titron in Hong Kong and a patent application is pending.

An in-built version is currently available with Virgin’s Nokia phone. These headsets are being developed for all models, says a Virgin spokesman.

Start Design worked on name generation, identity, packaging, and point of sale material for Virgin Mobile.

A point-of-sale display pod, or sales totem, has been designed by Jervis Hegarty Losasso.