Hi everyone… We’re a bit back-logged with Branson news here, while also working to upgrade the site to our new 2.0 version this month. But with the Superbowl in the US tomorrow, we had to take a moment to point out how Sir Richard not only appears in his first Superbowl ad, but also — in his usual style — got someone else to pay for it too:

While Web tie-ins are hardly a new concept, this year’s Super Bowl entrants are upping the ante in cost and creativity.

Volvo is offering a chance to win a trip into space aboard Virgin Galactic, the brainchild of billionaire Richard Branson, who also appears in the carmaker’s commercial.

Volvo is asking aspiring astronauts to log onto www.boldlygo.com through Feb. 22. The price tag for the sub-orbital flight: $200,000.

If you’re a pure marketing play like Virgin Group, you know you’ve arrived when other companies line up to pay for your marketing. "Galactic will put the Virgin brand on the American map in a way money can’t buy," Virgin strategist Will Whitehorn has previously said. Even better when you’re talking about other people’s money at that.