Finding New Ways to Sing the Blues
By now, we’ve all heard about JetBlue’s recent debacle. Yes, it was messy and, at worst, an example of what not to do in customer relations. However, I was quite impressed with their attempt at brand restoration.
Just like one of those foxy doctors on Grey’s Anatomy, JetBlue CEO David Neeleman wouldn’t quit trying to save his brand’s life. He apologized in print: full-page ads in the country’s most popular newspapers read like a Hallmark card from the “in the doghouse” selection (yeah, they make cards for that). Just in case you missed it, Neeleman also emailed the apology to everyone in its frequent flyer program, along with a link to a video apology hosted on JetBlue’s site. And, channeling his inner Kramer, Neeleman appeared on David Letterman’s Late Show a few days after the incident to make sure everyone in the country got the message of JetBlue’s shame and embarrassment. I’m actually a bit surprised Neeleman didn’t drop me a comment on MySpace too. Something like, “You like Van Halen?! I Like Van Halen! Good times. Hey, sorry about that ‘trapping people inside planes on Valentine’s Day’ thing. Won’t happen again.”
JetBlue’s apology covered a ton of ground quickly, and reached today’s connected consumers through a variety of media. At their desks, leafing through the paper over coffee, even zipping through Letterman DVR’d from the night before, everyone got the same message: JetBlue’s sorry, and will do their best to not let it happen again. This effective use of multimedia probably saved more than a few customer relationships. I know plenty of people that will still happily fly JetBlue.
Time will tell if JetBlue can rebuild its quirky, “airline for the common man” image, but all media professionals can learn from the way they handled the apology. Just spending a few minutes in front of a camera won’t do the trick anymore. Nor will a simple email blast. Because consumers have an unprecedented level of choice in their media consumption, we have an unprecedented number of options to reach them—and more competition for their attention than ever before.
JetBlue found a winning combination of media vehicles to tell a very important message. It’ll be interesting to see how many companies were taking notes, and use a similar tactic to introduce a new product or service.