Paws for thought

Australians still feel a sense of ownership of the Qantas brand

In the early days of je tBlue, founder David Neeleman was asked about the origins of the airline’s name and what did “jetBlue” mean. “Nothing,” he replied, “But we will make it mean something. ” Neeleman was arguing that brand names come to represent the product and service a company offers, and not the other way around. Certainly in the case of jetBlue he was right. In its US home market jetBlue would come to redefine the meaning of a low-cost airline in providing a value offering that other airlines didn’t, such as more legroom, free checked bags, free inflight entertainment and wi-fi. (It should be said jetBlue, in now charging for checked bags and reducing its seat pitch at the behest of its major shareholders, is now in danger of redefining its brand).