jetBlue and the Perfectly Obvious
Brand: jetBlue
Execution: TV
Link: Click Here – It is the first spot entitled “Mocumentary”
Target: Frequent Travelers
Rating: ****
Reviewer: David
Description:
Various airline employees discuss their jobs in comically simple terms. The pilot says, “Everyone on the plane wanted to go to California. So we went there.” The gate agent says, “Sometimes people want to sit together – so I seat them next to each other.” A flight attendant says, “I fly to California about fourteen times a month,” and the interviewer asks, “why?” She says, “because that’s where the planes go.” Some of the product features are show in cut shots of text including leather seats, DirectTV, as well as sample fares. In the on-air version of this spot the mocumentary interviewer is shown saying “It’s not rocket science. It’s jetBlue.
What Works:
This spot does something very simple but very effective. It recognizes that most of the major competitors in its industry are not doing the basic things right. And it points out that it shouldn’t be that difficult to give people what they want. Meaning low fares, good service and straight answers to questions.
Turning this insight into a mocumentary allows jetBlue to lampoon competitors like Delta, Northwest and American without having to name them or even refer to the competition. It is also consistent with the deadpan, straightforward brand image of jetBlue.
This spot is effective because it highlights jetBlue’s strengths in a unique way that is very difficult for any major carrier to respond to. It should strengthen the loyalty of current customers and intrigue those who might be new to the brand.
What Doesn’t:
This spot feels a bit cobbled together, lacking the coherence of a real documentary. Some of the deadpan humor goes a bit too far – particularly in the :60 second spot. There is the possibilty that this type of humor could be mistaken for earnestness – which would make jetBlue employees look like less than the sharpest tools in the shed.
The placement of the cut shots featuring fares and product benefits (as well as the ubiquitous jetBlue slogan “We like you, too”) seems somewhat haphazard and adds to the disjointed feeling of the spot as does the choice of color for the backgrounds of these cutaways (yellow for one).
Branding Bottom Line:
jetBlue kicks the majors when they’re down, but frequent travelers will appreciate it anyway.