JetBlue Differentiates Brand with YouTube Videos

October 16, 2010

In a clever attempt to differentiate its brand from other airline brands, JetBlue turned to YouTube and launched a series of videos that call attention to the common airline policies that anger consumers. Each video uses a hidden camera to capture consumers’ reactions to airline policies applied to other aspects of daily life.

For example, a New York City taxi driver reclines his seat and explains the legroom policy in his cab to paying passengers or he tells passengers that they’re required to pay a $25 baggage check fee to carry luggage in the trunk of the taxi. Other videos show an elevator ride destined to stop on every floor because it’s not a “non-stop” trip and a New York City street vendor pouring drinks into airline-sized disposable cups for customers rather than handing over the entire can.

As you can imagine, the reactions of New York City patrons are honest and amusing, and they perfectly support JetBlue’s message: “You wouldn’t take it on the ground. Don’t take it in the air.”

The videos work for one simple reason, JetBlue does offer more legroom, first checked bags are free, and you get the full can of Coke and a free snack no matter where you sit. In other words, JetBlue offers tangible differentiators and clearly demonstrates why consumers shouldn’t settle for less.

The YouTube videos are just one part of a larger marketing push JetBlue is launching in target cities across the United States, which will include online, mobile, offline, ambient, and in-flight initiatives. In other words, this is a well-strategized, fully-integrated marketing campaign.

You can view some of the JetBlue video montages below and check out all of the videos on the JetBlue YouTube channel within the Ground Rules playlist (which is great use of a playlist on YouTube, I might add!).

Glass Half Full Montage

Cab Jam Montage

Taken for a Ride Montage

The Local

What do you think of this effort by JetBlue? I like it, but I’d like to see even more social media efforts supporting the campaign which could carry the entire campaign to the next level of success over time. Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

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Susan Gunelius

President & CEO at KeySplash Creative, Inc.

Susan Gunelius is the author of multiple marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and blogging books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, a leading blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com, a featured writer for Forbes.com, and the Guide to Blogging for About.com. Additionally, her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, FoxBusiness.com, WashingtonPost.com, TheStreet.com, SmartMoney.com, TodayShow.com, BusinessWeek.com, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Small Business, and more. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Susan also appears at in-person and virtual events where she speaks about marketing, branding, social media, and more (visit www.SusanGunelius.com for more information). You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.