Earlier this month I spoke with JetSmarter‘s CMO, Ronn Torossian about brand creation, strategies to stay competitive in your industry, and how JetSmarter gets personal with it’s customers. If you’re not familiar with JetSmarter, it’s a mobile-marketplace for private jet charter, frequently referred to as “Uber for Private Air Travel.” Here’s my conversation with Ronn:
Thanks for taking the time Ronn. For those that aren’t familiar with JetSmarter, could you describe what problem the company is solving?
We’re the fastest growing private jet company right now, democratizing the private air industry. JetSmarter is making private airfare available for more than just the typical 1%, by either allowing customers to share a private plane, or have a seat on the plane. Rather than pay a full fee for a New York to Los Angeles private flight, you can just pay for the 3 seats you actually need. We certainly try to make the travel industry that much less painful for consumers, that’s why we’ve seen so much growth. We’re devoted to making travel fun again.
Consumers are increasingly expecting more personalized experiences — how do you and the JetSmarter team think about incorporating this into your strategy?
When I fly, I eat a lot of pretzels and I love diet coke. It makes such a difference to me when I get on board and they don’t even ask me what I want, they just give it to me because they already know I want it. This personalization makes a huge difference. We create profiles for our members, allowing us to understand their likes and dislikes so we can better profile and understand them. We can sit them next to someone who doesn’t want to talk, if they’re the type to put headphones in and relax during their flights. If they love making small talk, we can sit them next to someone else like that, too. At JetSmarter everyone has different experiences on the same flight, because everything is tailored specifically to them. We customize in such a personal way that whether it’s food or who you’re sitting next to, we want to make your journey the best it can be for you.
As a tech company, everything and anything regarding how people interact with technology matters to us. We are one of the most expensive apps on the App Store, our passengers want a luxury, tailed experience. We are excited about everything that tech has to offer – whether its servicing, knowing how customers interact with our product, or anything else. Our customer is successful, wealthy, and wants this unique product.
What advice would you pass along to other CMOs of startups or growing ventures?
Well… you have to move very quickly and you have to make decisions quickly. You cannot be afraid to make mistakes, because you will make mistakes. We’re taking on companies who have been around much longer than us, so we have to understand the importance of local market, and adapting to markets – that’s something to keep in mind whatever industry you’re in. But my best advice? Don’t sleep too much. We work hard to get where we are, it all comes down to that.
What’s been the best way marketing has helped JetSmarter grow into the “unicorn” it is today?
Doing everything from big data, to social keywords, to events is the standard, but the most effective method for us is our consumer’s word of mouth. Our ideal consumer is someone who we can reach through our core members… a lot like a country club. People get to socialize and get to know each other through the flights, so whether they’re inviting friends, having business meetings with colleagues, or getting to know strangers, they’re networking. We’ve flown to the Super Bowl, World Series, and so many more – we fly with all types of industries, whether fortune 500 CEOs, professors, or authors, and we also do a lot of private events focused on entrepreneurs and tech.
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