amex
Giving Airmiles a Human Touch
Capabilities:
Tiers, benefits, rewards, points, status, elite status, gold status... The world of airline travel cards is chockablock with abstract lingo.
This is the story of how we cut through the airline travel card jargon and got real for American Express and Delta by creating a new, more emotional currency.
American Express and Delta were launching their refreshed Platinum Travelcard and wanted to do something different.
Instead of the now-hackneyed ‘get-more-miles ad,’ we went with a human approach.
We set our sights on a specific buzzword ‘Status,’ with the aim of giving it new emotional resonance. Our campaign, ‘For the Status of You,’ set out to celebrate the emotional significance of the trips people take. Instead of a position in a remote tiered system of data and points, status became a rich emotional signifier.
What does the ‘Companion Certificate’ actually mean for people? For ‘Cool Mom’, it means taking her daughter on their first bonding trip alone together for next to nothing. That first free checked bag? Perfect for packing our novice rock climber’s gear.
We showed what these practical benefits actually mean to people and how they underpin travel experiences, big or small.