ECCO Design Gives Virgin Pulse

Market Wire, October, 2003

In its first foray into the consumer electronics space, maverick super-brand Virgin has partnered with ECCO Design to introduce a new line of "lifestyle electronics" aimed at the youth market and professionals on the go. Virgin Pulse, as the line will be called, puts a premium on design and user-friendliness, making it a natural fit for Virgin Pulse's retailing partner, Target, the national superstore known for bringing great design to the masses

Consumer research, industry feedback and a thorough investigation of the Virgin brand strategies were the driving factors of ECCO's design of the new product line. Through the preliminary rounds of consumer research and ideation, ECCO's product development focused on refined ergonomics, mutable styling and effortless functionality. The resultant line reflects the high degree of research in the discover phase of product design. Dual headphone jacks, product clips, hand straps, easy grip rubberized paint, large button functionality, hand molded forms, even washable earbud caps demonstrate Virgin Pulse's emphasis on innovation through ease of use. "Brilliant blue" backlit screens, silver paint juxtaposed on rubberized paint for a "velvety" feel and tactile grip all give the product line a further degree of identity with the Virgin Pulse brand and distinguish the inherent quality detailing throughout.

"While we have been looking at the consumer electronics category for years," said Richard Branson, Virgin's charismatic chairman, "we thought we'd wait to launch our own line until we had products that look great, work great and could thrash the competition with one hand tied behind its back and the other one scrolling an MP3 player."

Long known as much for its innovative designs as its point-on thinking and research, New York-based product development firm ECCO collaborated with Virgin to deliver a product line that puts the user first.

"We wanted to make something that moves with you," said Eric Chan, CEO of ECCO Design. "The Pulse line is about the dynamic pulse of life, a highly desirable and mobile product line that you will want to have with you as move throughout your day, not just something you take to the gym."

Chan and his design team created clean simple forms for the line. Comfortable control buttons surround the LCD display on all five products and share a distinctive teardrop-shaped button that processes several functions, including "play," "talk," or "call," depending on the product. The layout is configured to be instinctive, something the user can operate without necessarily having to look at.

Most of all the Pulse line is about personality. The products greet the user as being instantly recognizable and likable, as if they are a new friend. This is achieved by keeping the design thread consistent and simple while not sacrificing functionality.

Available in Target Stores, Target.com, and the Virgin Megastores, Virgin Pulse will prove that great design doesn't have to be expensive. It just needs to be great.

About ECCO

ECCO helps companies connect with people. We do this by turning insights about user's needs into great products and compelling experiences. We are a team of designers, researchers, and strategists. For over 15 years, we have worked alongside our clients to link insight and action, meaning and profit, and, along the way, continually reinvent product categories. After all, the world doesn't need another me-too product. And design is not just a beauty contest. It's about making something that really connects with people and with the greater world. It's about that poetic connection between magic and logic. www.ECCOID.com

About Virgin

Virgin -- the third most recognised brand in Britain -- is now becoming the first global brand name of the 21st century. We are involved in planes, trains, finance, soft drinks, music, mobile phones, holidays, cars, wines, publishing, bridal wear -- the lot! What ties all these businesses together are the values of our brand and the attitude of our people. We have created over 200 companies worldwide, employing over 25,000 people. Our total revenues around the world in 1999 exceeded 3 billion pounds sterling (us$5 billion).

We believe in making a difference. In our customers' eyes, Virgin stands for value for money, quality, innovation, fun and a sense of competitive challenge. We deliver a quality service by empowering our employees and we facilitate and monitor customer feedback to continually improve the customer's experience through innovation.

Stephanie Scherer 212-989-7373 stephanie@eccoid.com