At this South Florida public relations firm, we believe a timeless marketing success story that incorporates effective public relations, savvy social media and gutsy guerrilla marketing is timeless. Case in point: JetBlue’s 2012 “Election Protection” sweepstakes campaign.

The program incorporated the year’s most compelling news story – the presidential election – with public relations, social media, humor and free flights to create an alluring campaign that drove website and social media traffic, immediate brand appeal and enduring name awareness.

If you run a Miami law firm, a Fort Lauderdale non-profit or restaurant, or a Boca Raton luxury condominium, you can learn a lot from the street-savvy marketers with high-flying JetBlue.

As was discussed in Bulldog Reporter recently, the campaign from Mullen PR incorporated all the components of a rock-solid and well-devised P.R. and marketing blitz. As for humor, it tied into the lament of the moment: No matter what side of the aisle voters were on, many said, “If [my candidate] doesn’t win, I’m leaving the country.” This “Election Escapism” aligned with JetBlue’s Caribbean service.

Brass tacks: Some 112,000 votes were cast. More than 420,000 unique visitors saw the site. Two-thirds of those who recalled the message had a more positive impression about JetBlue. The story was carried in more than 1,500 news outlets in 11 countries. The campaign tallied 60 million earned impressions – two-fold over paid impressions.

The lesson for any marketer hoping to build brand awareness, consumer loyalty and even a fan base?

Fire on all cylinders. Any effective marketing campaign should use every tool available. The easiest for some is social media. Public relations can then add power, especially given the perceived objectivity of news coverage.

Leave your comfort zone – cautiously. Newsjacking (or tying into news of the day) must be standard in all your blogging. Then again, use of humor might not be a fit for a law or accounting firm. But maybe it can be. Similarly, a retailer that’s never piggybacked its marketing on a particular holiday or news event might consider such as a toe-in-the-water opportunity.

Track your results. Count clicks, likes, shares or other impressions measure effectiveness. Measure. Analyze. Fix and/or Repeat.

Lesson learned: If you want to be a high-flying brand, sometimes you have to think like a guerrilla.