JetBlue Can't Navigate the Virtual Space

So my group is researching JetBlue for our class project and I went in with the impression that JetBlue is a savvy marketer that really knows how to promote itself. The airline's Happy Jetting campaign was very effective in positioning the carrier as a easy, breezy company. However, my research on JetBlue's digital strategy was quite a shock. For this entry, let's focus on its blogging efforts.

Let's start with its address, t508.wordspace.com - how is the average consumer going to associate that reference to JetBlue's new terminal at JFK to the airline? Even though the blog is dedicated to the opening of the new terminal, it could have been named something more memorable like JetBlueT5. The narrow focus of the subject matter means the blog hasn't been updated since October 2008. Not only is it an old blog, it has out-of-date links (t5wines.com) and didn't offer any videos of the opening ceremony at the terminal, nor does it direct visitors to the JetBlue homepage. While there's nothing wrong with using wordpress to publish its blog, JetBlue stumbled badly with an obscure name, no RSS feed, and a missed opportunity to promote the JetBlue brand.

JetBlue can learn from Southwest. From the web address (blogsouthwest.com) to features and content. The site has a clear message at the top of the page regarding the purpose of the blog

Nuts about Southwest is all about our Employees, Customers, airplanes, and airports. We really are Nuts about Southwest and we hope that our Readers will share that passion by posting their own comments.

Entries are tagged, there’s a link to its Flickr presence (JetBlue also has a Flickr presence, but again, it was not presented well), and there’s a video blog and podcasts. In keeping with the nature of a blog, it offers links to other blogs of interest. The blog does a good job of announcing developments at Southwest, such as WiFi service on select routes and inviting user feedback, with the comment box following a posting (unlike at JetBlue’s site where users have to click the “Comment” link and be directed to another page).

I used to cover Southwest as an analyst and I always knew it was a solid financial and operating company, but I clearly mistook the company's folksy image to mean it would be less Internet savvy than JetBlue, but I was wrong, wrong, wrong.