a trueness to the brand promise," explains Johnson. "JetBlue simply followed the notion of making an airline that people would want to fly. And they instituted an attitude that flew in the face of traditional airlines, and inherently that honesty of the brand came forward, and it remains there. It is not a contrived coolness; it is one that stems from the honest intent of the company to be different and appeal to peo- ples emotions." Like Elton Johns music, the JetBlue brand appeals to a transgen- erational group of customers. Its universal brand message and prod- uct appeal to people who are hip and style-conscious and who think of JetBlue along those lines. Yet 65-year-olds like the company and appreciate the friendly service. A common thread among a majority of JetBlue fans is that they write and call the company with ideas for how to paint the jets and improve the product. They also send fan mail to Neeleman and his company. And most important, they love to spread the word about the airline. A high proportion of JetBlue customers become avid fans because of the strong emotional content of the brand. They appreciate the humor that JetBlue tries to inter- ject into the increasingly stressful activity of travel. They relate well to Neeleman, who has given the brand a very human touch. Ulti- mately, they end up smiling when they think of the brand-it creates an emotional response before many of them formulate the words to express their feelings. So, is JetBlue catching on? You bet. As Neeleman explains, "You can begin to hear people say, I took JetBlue to Florida instead of I flew to Florida, which indicates to us that they have a sense of own- ership and affinity for the brand." And that is one of the ultimate indicators of when a brand has become a part of culture, when its     name enters the everyday vernacular-such as Kleenex, Vaseline, or Elton John sunglasses. Success attracts competitors, however, making it more important than ever that JetBlue hone both the functional and emotional ele- ments of its brand. And as Delta and United eye the low-fare market, one thing they cant duplicate is the DirecTV offering. In 2002, Jet- Blue bought the technology that enables satellite transmission to air- craft, because it saw that as a key advantage of its product and wanted to protect the brand. Critics wonder if large corporate structures such as United and Delta will be able to replicate the JetBlue formula of expense control and customer orientation. Just as there existed many pianists with as much talent as Elton John, not many were able to make it big in the market. Elton John and JetBlue demonstrate that success in the mar- ket requires both mastering the functional attributes of a product