This is a story of one man’s love affair with an airline and how, on one special Valentine’s Day, they exchanged two special gifts.
I fly JetBlue a lot and often tweet them here or there to ask a question, express an opinion, or just share them in a mention to my followers. Anyone who’s followed JetBlue knows that they are highly regarded for their social media engagement and they’ve never disappointed me. Much like the movie, Her, some of my friends have begun to question if our relationship is “unhealthy.” Others have just become jealous of our self-described “bromance:”
@ish_ajay Don’t be jealous Aaron! We like you too. We just have a little #bromance going on with @paulgordonbrown. 😉 #LetsAllBeFriends
— JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) December 28, 2013
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In any event, we always have a playful exchange. Sometimes they help me out when I’m rushing through the airport:
@paulgordonbrown If you think you won’t reach the gate in time, let one of our crewmembers know and they’ll help if they can. Good luck!
— JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) January 28, 2014
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And I return the favor by looking out for them:
@JetBlue 4 sure… Oh & your sign here @LAX was askew. Don’t worry, I fixed it. #igotyourback #brotherfromanothermother pic.twitter.com/Bw4sXb34px
— Paul G. Brown (@paulgordonbrown) January 11, 2014
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One time they even hand delivered Starbucks to me on the plane. (It’s a great story. Check it out here.) And I returned the favor:
U bought me @Starbucks so I bought the 1st @JetBlue staff member in line one too #payitforward http://t.co/6yvY3up1uQ pic.twitter.com/zv4XHgoFYe
— Paul G. Brown (@paulgordonbrown) December 27, 2013
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And sometimes we just exchange jokes:
Great day to fly @JetBlue and @HawaiianAir to Honolulu! pic.twitter.com/mW4FV9Qy3E
— Paul G. Brown (@paulgordonbrown) December 28, 2013
@JetBlue I was hoping for pork chops and applesauce as a mid-flight snack, but a haunted tiki idol is just as good! http://t.co/N2o3Cytkwe
— Paul G. Brown (@paulgordonbrown) December 28, 2013
@paulgordonbrown “Shounds” really good!
— JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) December 28, 2013
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So this Valentines Day, I decided to send them a little extra love. I thought up a couple of rhymes and then put my graphic design skills to work to tweet them a special Valentine (and yes, I know there’s a typo… oy 😉 ):
I made you a special valentine @JetBlue We were meant to be together, like PB&J #bemine #trueblue #JetBlueSoFly pic.twitter.com/DowHAVwXQO
— Paul G. Brown (@paulgordonbrown) February 14, 2014
And what I got in response was nothing short of epic:
@paulgordonbrown Hey Paul, thanks for kicking off our Valentine’s Day fun this morning. Go check out your TrueBlue Badges page for us…
— JetBlue Airways (@JetBlue) February 14, 2014
This is where the story requires a little bit of explanation. JetBlue runs a “badges game” as a part of their TrueBlue frequent flyer program. Much like on Foursquare or in online games, you can collect badges for achievements. In this case you get badges for visiting cities, doing business with one of their partners, or by sharing your achievements via social media. There are leaderboards between you and your friends and you even “level up” as you collect more badges. Well, on this Valentine’s Day, the JetBlue team created a special badge just for me:
JetBlue replied, “We thought you might like that… It’s a one of a kind badge that no one else gets without our say-so!” How’s that for going the extra mile for your customers? Much like our initials, we go together like PB&J. Now I think that is a pretty special Valentine. I guess it’s time for me to plot my next move…
Pb 