Happy Friday. And capturing a brand’s excitement.

Letting a real pro check equipment prior to a shoot.

A few days ago, my husband received a call from a producer asking if he could film Virgin America’s virgin flight (clever, eh?) from Los Angeles to Toronto. In addition to accompanying Sir Richard Branson to Canada, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would be along for the ride and in a rapid layoff in San Francisco, there would be a quick photo opportunity with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Why not? Wolf said. Other than helping the wife change diapers and feed the kid, I’m free. Off he went.  Two days later, my husband returned somewhat disheveled but quite exhilarated. “Branson is all about branding. He’s the ultimate when it comes to branding. Everything he said, whether it was the answer to a question or a joke he was making revolved around Virgin,” Wolf said. “And he’s a lot of fun to be around.”

As a copywriter, it’s my job to find ways for businesses to promote their brand. Whether it’s coming up with a clever tagline, slogan or a few pages explaining what’s so exciting about their products, I have to infuse everything I write with the company’s zest and enthusiasm so that potential customers get excited and whip out their credit cards. It’s not a terribly difficult job, at least not most of the time; small business owners are usually very excited about their products. Most of the ones I know are dreamers. Their passion for what they do is contagious. And when I catch what they have, the writing comes along nicely. I imagine that being around Branson must be like that. I think any time a client is stuck, I’ll advise them to watch Branson. In addition to running an international conglomerate, the guy should bottle his zeal. Now there’s an idea…

Have a good holiday weekend.

The footage Wolf shot has aired on CNBC and on Conde Nast Travel’s website.

Tagged as: branding, cnbc, conde nast travel, Los Angeles, sir richard branson, toronto, virgin america