JetBlue is the number one airline and the largest on the Island. This makes them a key player in keeping Puerto Rican families together; there is a constant flow of Puerto Ricans visiting their relatives, traveling back and forth between the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Being in the business of connecting people, JetBlue decided to show their appreciation to all. This was an initiative which’s goal was to embrace, celebrate and identify with the Puerto Rican people and their culture, as well as a way to applaud Puerto Rico’s resilience after the devastating effects of hurricane María, just before its first-year anniversary.

In terms of specific marketing objectives, the goal of this initiative was to create awareness of JetBlue’s appreciation for the Puerto Rican people, their loyalty and support as well as increasing the love for the brand.

Puerto Ricans applaud upon landing. Perhaps it’s a show of appreciation for the pilot and crew members after a great on flight experience. Perhaps it’s a patriotic celebration as the plane touches ground on their beloved soil. Regardless of the specific reason, clapping upon landing is part of the Puerto Rican tradition. The creative idea was born from this cultural insight. JetBlue decided to celebrate Puerto Ricans and their culture by taking this applause to the next level: through a surprise stunt that engaged all passengers on board a special flight. Soon after take off, passengers would be asked to clap to the beat, to record a special song. Once they had the beat going, a popular Puerto Rican singer would join in by surprise and improvise a special song. This live event would be recorded and shared on the Internet for everyone to enjoy and share.

Puerto Rico is a small island, measuring 100 x 35 miles, with a population of around 3.2 million, located in the Caribbean. Being surrounded by water, the easiest and fastest way to travel is by plane. For that reason, Puerto Ricans are used to travel. Being a U.S. territory and having American citizenship, in addition to traveling, many Puerto Ricans have moved and made their lives in the U.S. JetBlue, being the largest airline on the Island, has been a key player in keeping these families together; there is a constant flow of Puerto Ricans visiting their relatives, traveling back and forth between the U.S. and in P.R. Thus our target audience: Puerto Ricans living in the Island as well as in the U.S. The strategy involved a surprise stunt in one of the typically top flights boarded by Puerto Ricans: New York to Puerto Rico.

The surprise live event took place mid-air onboard an actual JetBlue flight from New York to Puerto Rico on August 29th, 2018. The plane’s 162 passengers were surprised though an engaging musical stunt in which they participated by clapping to the beat. To add to the excitement and surprise, a local celebrity joined in to sing a song about the brand experience. The video was edited to a 1:45SS version and released on digital platforms and social media on September 13th. In addition to launching on youtube, and digital banners displayed on social networks frequented by our target audience, Puerto Rican influencers also shared the video with their fans. It is important to note that part of the media strategy to reach all Puerto Ricans included local media websites, as they are still being accessed by Puerto Ricans who’ve moved to the U.S. All channels were launched at once.

The results were measured in terms of views, engagement, people reached, total impressions and positive comments/feedback on the video. As soon as it was posted, it elicited a wave of emotion among all Puerto Ricans, making it go viral. Considering the fact that Puerto Rico has a current population of 3.2 Million, obtaining over 3.7 Million total views (including paid and earned efforts on the different digital platforms) is quite a big number. In addition, it reached 8,811,373 people, and obtained a total of 12,467,948 impressions. Furthermore, comments on social media reflect love for the brand among Puerto Ricans. They felt the brand celebrated and understood them at a deeper level.