David Neeleman, the CEO and chairman of JetBlue Airways, was named DM Days New York Marketer of the Year. Within the last few years, Neeleman’s JetBlue has consistently been at or near the top of consumer airline preference surveys.
During his acceptance speech, Neeleman described how, before JetBlue’s launch in 2000, the founders discussed Southwest Air, which at the time was the benchmark for the best-run airline. As Neeleman put it, the hurdle for creating a better airline was “so low, we could crawl over it.”
But airlines, he continued, were and are a rotten, largely unprofitable industry to get into. Instead, “we decided to become a marketing service company that just happened to have airplanes,” Neeleman said.
Neeleman recalled that when he first started the airline, an advertising agency told him that in return for a hefty retainer, “We will make you.” Neeleman found that offensive: His thought was that the airline would make itself.
The company was built around hiring the best possible people, who would in turn provide the best possible service to its customers. It has relied on this model ever since, touting the benefits of good customer experiences and word of mouth to supplement its traditional advertising.
JetBlue is now leveraging that customer goodwill into other areas. The company recently inked a deal with American Express for a jointly branded credit card, and will be making a move into the travel package business, providing rental cars and hotel reservations, among other amenities.
Through all of this, Neeleman has remained mindful that his company provides services beyond mere transportation. “Passengers are those who fly on other airlines,” Neeleman said. “Customers fly on JetBlue.”
Previous Marketer of the Year recipients include Jason Ackerman, co-founder and CFO of FreshDirect; Lowell W. “Bud” Paxson, chairman and CEO of Paxson Communications Corp.; Shelly Lazarus, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide; Thomas O. Ryder, the Reader’s Digest Association; and Janice Brandt, America Online, Inc.
