Embracing Technology can Impact your Brand Perception – Thoughts on the Way Home from NAR 2011

So I am writing this from the airport on my way home back this year’s NAR Convention in Anaheim, CA, to the east coast from Long Beach airport.  I am flying Jetblue from Long Beach which is my first trip from the LBC, as Snoop Dog affectionally refers to it.

When we were looking for flights I wanted to go with Jetblue since I have rarely taken them, because it seemed like a cool brand and thought the experience would make the long flight seem less painful.  I was surprised if not frustrated to learn once I boarded that the flight, while with individual TV sets which I knew, did not have wifi options.  So here I am about to be on a plane and no way to be connected? 

My image of Jetblue has changed.  As I sit at the airport on the way home connected for only a few more minutes, I am thinking about Brands and how today their ability to creatively use technology and mobile can seriously impact their image.  Again not mobile or technology for the sake of it but to drive and reinforce a brand, experience and ultimately the bottom line.

I think the same can be said for agents and brokers in real estate.  Buying a home is not new and is one of the most basic and fundamental things we all do or want to do. 

It is how we search and find the right house that has changed.  Have you changed with it and have you accepted mobile and technology as a tool that can help you work with your clients and ultimately serve as an extension of your business?  If you haven’t, clients who are increasing mobile and on to go may view you much more differently now.  It’s that simple.  Experience is not just about you it’s also about how you connect with people and your clients. 

Will I ever fly Jetblue again? Maybe?  But it certainly is no longer a given as a flight choice and I don’t think they’re as cool as they seem.  How does your brand hold up compared to your competitors?

 ~ Philip Charles-Pierre, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Distribution