Dear JetBlue: I miss you. We were great together, weren’t we? We liked and understood each other. I was the loyal customer, with “Mosaic” status, who flew twice per week and bragged about you to my friends. You were dependable and reliable with outstanding customer service, plush leather seats and plenty of legroom.
The prices? Even better.
I still remember when we first met. It was love at first flight. Sometimes, I find myself reminiscing when I’m flying on competing airlines; I still have your priority-baggage tag. I’ve been meaning to throw it out, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.
Then, things got a little rocky. I said some things. You said some things. Your brand cheated on me, and now I’m seeing someone else.
So, the time has come for me to, officially, bid the JetBlue brand adieu.
A brand breakup with a loyal customer is the last thing you as an entrepreneur want to go through, whether you’re bootstrapping an early-stage startup or running a billion-dollar company. Building a quality brand is a major investment of both time and money. Yet all too often, businesses put in the work only to deviate from the game plan, alienating loyal customers and killing retention.
“Branding is so important because loyalty comes from people doing business with companies they like and understand,” Juan Romero told me in an interview. He’s president and CEO of (api)+, a retail design and branding firm that works with clients such as The Fresh Market, Publix and Sunglass Hut. “People want to use brands that have the same beliefs they do,” Romero said.
My JetBlue experience didn’t have to end this way. Certain aspects of the brand were strategically sound. In other areas the brand stumbled — badly. Here’s what entrepreneurs can learn from it.
Never forget your brand promise.
How JetBlue Won: Once upon a time, “Happy Jetting” was JetBlue’s official slogan, and it really rang true. At a time when airlines were beginning to experiment with baggage fees and were discussing mergers, raising ticket prices and generally making the flying experience miserable, JetBlue was different; passengers like me loved them for it. In 2008, the airline was ranked highest in North America for customer satisfaction.
And revenue rolled in. I was one of the contributors. But that was fine because being a regular withJetBlue made me happy. It evoked an emotional response, so I returned again and again, spending as much as $5,000 per month on domestic flights with the airline.
How JetBlue Lost: In 2010, JetBlue unveiled its “You Above All” campaign, forever changing the brand promise for customers. No longer content with just customer happiness, the airline took things a step…
