Bloggers Take to the Skies with JetBlue

In honor of a new route to Los Angeles, JetBlue invites video bloggers along for the ride

To promote new routes to Los Angeles from New York and Boston, JetBlue has tapped the power of social media marketing. In the face of several recent PR disasters and increased competition from airlines like Virgin America, JetBlue made the savvy move of recruiting internet celebrities to promote their brand.

JetBlue used its one plane with wireless internet access, BetaBlue, for the JFK-to-LAX flight; the seats were filled with popular Howcast videographers and YouTube celebrities. While none of the bloggers were paid directly by JetBlue, they all received a free cross-country flight and some are being paid by Howcast to produce how-to videos featuring JetBlue. JetBlue simply requested that each blogger provide a friendly shout-out to JetBlue in whatever media they produced from the flight.

The airline chose not to heavily promote the flight in the media, relying instead on on-board celebs to keep the buzz going through frequent twitter updates and online social networking commentary. Here’s one video created by a popular Ford fashion model, “Happy Jetting with Delphine.”

Trend Impact: Though rival airline Virgin America used similar tactics in the past, JetBlue’s use of social media is nevertheless a stroke of marketing genius. By packing the plane with internet celebrities for the inaugural trip to LAX, JetBlue lets satisfied customers promote the brand value from directly within the customer experience. In flight (real time) promotion combines with lingering affects in the blogosphere to make JetBlue a forward-thinking force in modern travel.

JetBlue

Howcast

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