MKTGMSFT

Case Study: Delta Air Lines — Hacking LA Fashion Week to Amplify Six Small Businesses

Situation: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, business travel and consumer confidence for in-person events recovered slowly. Delta Air Lines needed to reengage a small- and medium-business (SMB) audience that had been disproportionately affected by the downturn and remained cautious about returning to travel.

Delta’s commercial goal was to rebuild brand relevance with SMB owners and operators while demonstrating tangible support for diverse entrepreneurs. The communications goal was to quickly and credibly create large-scale awareness among culturally engaged consumers and business communities.

Insight: LA Fashion Week attracts media attention, cultural tastemakers, and a network of influencers and buyers—many of whom value the discovery of new designers and brands. Rather than competing for scarce event inventory, we “hacked” the cultural moment to amplify small businesses by pairing them with a trusted cultural entrepreneur who could confer credibility, and by cobranding merchandise that linked fashion and travel.

Issa Rea, an influential entrepreneur and cultural figure known for design sensibility and business acumen, provided the ideal bridge between Delta’s travel platform and the small-business community.

Strategy: Create a cobranded fashion and travel accessory line with Issa Rea that featured products from six emerging, diverse SMB designers.

Leverage the built-in attention of LA Fashion Week by staging pop-up activations and press moments timed to the event, rather than buying traditional runway sponsorships.

Use Delta’s channels and Issa Rea’s cultural platform to tell the entrepreneurs’ stories and drive discovery and commerce.

Position Delta as a cultural connector and committed supporter of SMBs, reinforcing travel as an engine for business growth and discovery.

Execution: Developed a limited-edition cobranded line of travel accessories and fashion pieces: carry-on and personal-item travel bags, passport covers, travel scarves, and select apparel accents.

Each item incorporated design elements from Issa Rea and one of six small designers, giving each entrepreneur visible co-credit while maintaining a cohesive Delta x Issa Rea aesthetic.

Activation: Hosted a timely pop-up showcase during LA Fashion Week in a high-traffic cultural district rather than paying for runway placement. The pop-up served as both retail and storytelling space. Invite business press, lifestyle media, travel media, and SMB networks; provided Delta-branded content kits and B-roll to media for distribution.

Multichannel amplification: Issa Rea led social-first storytelling across her channels: behind-the-scenes design sessions, entrepreneur spotlights, and “how travel helped my business” narratives.

Delta promoted the line and the entrepreneurs through owned channels: email, social, in-flight magazine features, and a dedicated microsite that linked directly to each designer’s shop.

Limited-edition pieces were sold through the pop-up, Issa Rea’s commerce platform, and Delta’s travel retail channels, with a percentage of initial proceeds reinvested into small-business grants.

Measurement and KPIs Primary KPIs

Awareness: earned media impressions, social reach and engagement during LA Fashion Week window.

SMB exposure: unique pageviews and traffic referrals to each entrepreneur’s shop pages.

Commerce: units sold of cobranded items and revenue share directed to the entrepreneurs.

Brand perception: lift in Delta consideration among SMB audiences measured via pre/post surveys.

Secondary KPIs

Press placements in fashion, business, travel, and local LA outlets.

Attendance and dwell time at the pop-up.

Earned social and influencer content volume.

Results

Awareness: The activation generated substantial media coverage across fashion, lifestyle, and business outlets, producing several million earned impressions during LA Fashion Week. Social reach was amplified by Issa Rea’s audience plus Delta’s channels, resulting in a combined reach that eclipsed typical Delta SMB outreach benchmarks for the quarter.

SMB exposure: Traffic to the six entrepreneurs’ commerce pages increased by an average of 4x in the two weeks following the activation. Several designers reported higher wholesale inquiries and new retailer leads directly attributable to introductions made during the pop-up.

Commerce: The cobranded line sold out within the pop-up window and online initial run; sales provided immediate revenue to participating entrepreneurs and funded microgrants to support business recovery.

Brand perception: Post-activation survey data showed measurable lift in Delta’s perception as a supporter of small business among SMB audiences and culturally engaged consumers. Intention to consider Delta for future business travel improved among SMB respondents who interacted with the campaign.

Strategic learnings

Cultural moments can be productively “hacked” by creating adjacent, value

When the world needed a reason to travel again we embraced a cultural insight: The world was losing color.

Pinterest cues to beige and various shades of gray… The world was losing color. And at Delta, we found a core belief and brand positioning that the world was far more interesting when you had the ability to explore the undiscovered colors within it.

This led to being awarded Neilson’s most effective advert in 2023.

In concert with the new incoming CMO, we developed a brand platform that launched a “new era” for Hewlett-Packard personal computing. In the first chapter for a larger brand intuitive focused on Gen-Z, we were able to shift a product-first company into a brand-first company.

By highlighting advances in technology that get out of the way so that consumers can live their on-the-go lives, and establishing a new progressive look, tone, feel for HP, we reached a new crop of consumers that haven’t been sold on Apple as the only solution for the creative mindset.

The store was built by the people of Melrose (and Hustle). Everything about it–from its location to the products that it stocks–was been determined by data about how people from the area interact with Nike.

For example, we found that one in fifty pairs of shoes sold in the area was a Nike Cortez, which then reflected in the product selection available to customers. By using data points like this to inform store selection, Nike was trying to create an agile and responsive store to “show and flow new products which will be rotated super fast, bi-weekly, into the store so that customers can keep coming back.”

The 4,557 square foot single-level building in the heart of West LA is also a pilot concept store for Nike Live that blurs the line between digital and physical shopping. Powered by Nike digital commerce data, everything about the store is designed to work seamlessly with the Nike Plus app on shoppers’ phones.

Although it’s just one store, it was the consumer apparel giant’s latest effort to create a more direct and personal relationship with the consumer and adopt a robust digital strategy at a time when brick-and-mortar third-party retailers that the company had previously relied on are floundering.

Nike by Melrose was a testing ground for a more data-driven local approach that will influence how portions of planned flagship stores in New York and Shanghai are built. Additionally, Nike is also looking to Melrose to pilot many of the features that will find its ways into all its stores around the world.

Evolve is a first-person shooter video game developed by Turtle Rock Studios, published by 2K Games and distributed by Take-Two Interactive. We were brought in extremely early in the process to inform naming, critical brand development and key visual elements for the go-to-market plan. The 18-month window leading to launch required us to be diligent across every communication touch point as we built the fan community from scratch resulting in Best of Show honors at both E3 and Gamescom creating a highly anticipated launch.

This Herculean effort included logo/key art and packaging design, trailer development, promotions and contest, trade show activations, cinematic trailer development, digital/social customer acquisition, broadcast, and CRM. All of these efforts culminated in a fully integrated $20+M launch campaign weaving in culturally relevant events such as the top-rated premiere of AMC's Better Call Saul and the 2015 NBA playoffs.

Being handed the keys to one of the oldest and most iconic brands is both an honor and an incredible responsibility. We were tasked with helping to revive America's first motorcycle company. With Harley Davidson holding onto more than 80% of the market, it was a true David vs. Goliath task.

Together, in concert with the clients at Polaris, we rallied around a bold and authentic positioning to inform every touch point across consumer events, marketing assets, and retail. Efforts included model brochures, brand films, apparel, industry events, and localized advertising campaigns driving to retail, focused on reintroducing the brand to an audience that was incredibly loyal to the competitor. With our help, Indian Motorcycle was back and in a big way.

We were tasked with recreating the value proposition for Häagen-Dazs across the globe. The brand had grown stale through expected tabletop product shots, that might make you hungry, but in no way represented a luxury indulgence that could demand a premium price point.

So we referenced style that clearly represented the aspects of handcrafted quality, attention to detail, extravagant materials, and playful design, in spades: Haute Couture. This global brand equity work consisting of TV, print, OOH, digital, and retail/point of purchase, was developed and transcreated across EMEA, APAC, and South America under the platform entitled, "The House of Häagen-Dazs."

Converse approached us with the assignment of recreating the success of London’s Rated One Star Hotel but adapting it to specifically reach the youth of LA in an authentic way. coinciding with the global campaign launch for #RatedOneStar

But many LA events are designed to play into the exclusivity and glamorous misconceptions of the city, often alienating the exact audience we were trying to reach.

Having an intimate understanding of the underlying street culture that drives the city, contrary to what most see on TV, we identified opportunities for Converse to meet the youth of LA on their terms.

Introducing the One Star Donut Joint. A nostalgic throwback for neighborhood kids who grew up with diners, convenience stores, and Korean BBQ’s as the places where the day begins and nights often ended.

We went to work creating a multi-touchpoint experience. No detail was too small, as the team concepted, designed, and oversaw the creation of every element to make the campaign feel authentic, but connected from street art and flyers, to decals and giveaways. We even hand printed and stamped custom delivery boxes, filling them one-by-one with hundreds of pairs of Converse shoes for surprise and delight giveaways moments.

To get the word out, we hit the streets in a One Star food truck going to the places we knew our kids already were; skateparks, concert venues, and street courts. Not only did we surprise them with free donuts and flyers for the event to share with their friends, a few local teens were rewarded with their very own pair of One Star sneakers.

We found the cool kids. Not just up and coming artists, musicians, and skaters; but also the kids that were defining their own style and influencing their local circles and high school peers. We sourced entertainment from the Converse family of Influencers that fit the LA style and kept the party going well into the evening.

With a line around the block, we opened the donut joint serving over 4000 donuts and handing out almost 500 pairs of Converse to kids from neighborhoods all over LA. They shared their appreciation by documenting the DJ’s, skate tricks, and their new kicks across social for two-days straight.

The value of the donut joint didn’t just end with the over 1MM views on social, it led to the recruitment of a loyal group of influencers paving the way for the next generation of Converse fans in Los Angeles.

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The original Bejeweled was the first match-three style puzzle title to take the mobile gaming world by storm. Enter Candy Crush, Bubble Witch, Candy Witch, Bubble Crush and everything in between. The genre had become crowded, but Electronic Arts and PopCap Studios were determined to take back the crown by innovating on their classic title and relaunching the franchise with entirely new IP. They approached us with the task of researching player motivations and helping to craft a positioning that was universally relevant and motivating.

We developed a humorous, female-focused digital and social campaign that poked a little fun at everyday situations where a magical distraction could take you to a "shiny place." This drew from the insight that a fun little escape from daily doldrums is highly relatable, while incredibly personal. All of the executions were designed to live in and around the mobile experience with a focus on driving immediate downloads. 

Based on a desire to evolve and innovate their global equity strategy, Häagen-Dazs decided to double down on their commitment to real, quality ingredients, and craftsmanship. From the cream sourced via select cows in France, to the finest strawberries sourced from around the globe, to real Belgian chocolate, this tireless passion was the insight from which we evolved our campaign tagline to, “In The Name Of Real.”

We retained the services of our global celebrity, Bradley Cooper, this time opting for candid moments between him and his co-star sharing the product in unscripted ways. The hand-selected ingredients stole the show as we meticuluosly wove together sequences created by world renown food stylists to create a thing of beauty. 

Amazon approached us to develop a launch campaign for the top-secret release of their bold entrance into the mobile device market. Countless months were spent behind closed doors orchestrating a plan to go head-to-head with established industry leaders in an overly saturated category. We knew that competing on features wouldn't be enough to create a point of differentiation, so we leaned into the core tenets of Amazon by putting the consumer first. Each of the concepts presented highlighted how the device wasn't merely a new phone, but instead, a keyhole into the all the ways Amazon has, and will continue to, change our lives. 

20th Century FOX approached us in advance of their highly-anticipated coming of age film: Love, Simon. They wanted to create conversation around the themes of of the film (inclusion and acceptance) on social media to raise awareness for a digital filmmaker’s contest. With limitations on both time and budget we opted to find and cast real people, inviting them to share their challenges and breakthroughs with love ones. Unbeknownst to them, their loved ones were waiting on set in a secret location for a surprise reunion.

Reeling from two failed prelaunches, 2K needed to rethink their strategy to stoke the interest of a diehard group of core fans for an IP that was a drastic departure from the franchise. Instead of shying away from the delay, we developed a strategy that embraced the missteps as a bigger conspiracy to hide the truth; a narrative that was directly tied to the storylines of the game.

We began by leaking assets riddled with “easter eggs” to influential niche media outlets creating a flurry of investigation and speculation about the source of the information and the bigger story that was being unravelled. We then partnered with up and coming Director, Henry Hobbs, casting recognizable faces who not only embraced the roles of our lead characters, but also contributed to the development of each piece of content through their knowledge and love for the XCOM franchise.

The result was a 4x goal in console sales and downloads the first weekend of launch, not to mention hours of sustained conversation and interaction for 6 mos. across owned and earned channels creating excitement for a game outside of the franchise’s core fans.

Father Joe's Villages is a San Diego charity with the mission of reinventing the cure for homelessness by addressing underlying causes, not just the symptoms. The issue was so prevalent that many community members who had donated in years past were becoming numb to the possibility that their contributions could make a difference.

In collaboration with the award-winning animation company, Real FX, best known for their work on The Minions movie franchise, we created a short film as the centerpiece of a larger effort to shine a new light on the situation through the relatable analogy of turning coal into diamonds with the right pressure.

Following a multi-million dollar renovation, Harrah's Southern California Resort needed a marketing platform that would set it apart from the neighboring competition. Instead of focusing on amenities and promotions, we focused on the "Fun made Funner" attitude. Not to be outdone, we worked closely with the property and tribal ownership to physically create a place, turning the area around the resort into an actual city: Funner, CA. The fully-integrated campaign featured broadcast, print, OOH, digital and social elements, kicking off with the inauguration of Funner's first official Mayor, David Hasselhoff, who completely embraced all things "funner" in the role.

In between yearly global equity assignments, we were often tasked with extending the prior year's big budget efforts through smaller support initiatives that required lots of content developed quickly and inexpensively. Given the success of the House of Häagen-Dazs, we developed a sub-campaign to live within the existing platform focused on high-quality ingredients called, Nothing to Hide.

Still residing in the world of couture fashion, we developed a wardrobe of ingredient inspired designs and accessories, capturing one of a kind,  bitesized fodder for consumer engagment across social and digital channels. 

As surfing becomes an Olympic sport for the first time in history, women’s surf & snow brand ROXY is reimagining a word that has previously placed female athletes in a box. CUTE.

The new campaign titled 'Welcome To The New Cute,' encompassing nine brand films and print headlines, takes long-held perceptions of 'cute'... and blows them wide open.

Narrated by 2x Longboard World Champion Kelia Moniz, a longform film begins with footage of female, ROXY board athletes being the traditional kind of 'cute' – sweet, smiley and girly – and quickly juxtaposes it.

A snowboarder drops hundreds of feet down the face of a snowy mountain; a surfer rides a wave weighing 400 tons. “This is cute, too,” says Kelia in the voiceover.

Belkin initially approached to us for positioning and strategy across a number of their product lines. This evolved into one of the company's first-ever consumer facing campaigns in support of their prestigious line of routers. 

The funny thing about routers was that no one ever thought about them unless they weren't working. So we created a digital campaign highlighting all of the amazing things that the right wireless technology could enable. The placements were all highly contextual around moments where people may actually think about whether or not their network was at its best. All assets drove to an eCommerce platform where consumers could purchase via Amazon marketplace, Target.com or manufacturer direct. 

We were tasked with reimagining the new look and feel of the US Ski & Snowboard Association. We focused our efforts on bringing to life two of the critical core values of the USSA: team and excellence. The task of gaining consensus was extremely complex as many of the athletes across the 7 disciplines had a say throughout the creative process. The final design incorporated elements of national pride, unique environmental features and a not-so-subtle nod to the ultimate goal of sweeping the podium in every major competition. The logo will be featured across all elements of U.S. winter sports including uniforms, apparel, and events.

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While most Angelenos love the bay, many were taking it for granted. Heal the Bay, a private non-profit, was seeing shrinking donations and participation. To inspire action, we didn't just come up with an ad campaign, we came up with a new busienss model called, Buy the Bay. We created an online shop that turned memorable beach experiences into tangle products for purchase.

We worked to with local artists, designers, chefs, and celebrities to inspire designs that incapsulated their fondest beach experiences. To kick things off, we hosted a community event that resulted in hundreds of thousands of earned media impressions and enough in donations to fund months of educational and clean up efforts. 

In the late 1960's, the Gaviña Family immigrated to Los Angeles from Cuba, bringing with them over 4 generations, and over 100 years, of coffee roasting passion.

With growing distribution across the Southeast, Midwest and West Coast, their consumer brand, Don Francisco's, named after the family patriarch, was in need of a premium positioning to compete with big-budget national competitors. We started from scratch, designing and testing multiple package designs, each informing a unique platform and offering. Once in production, we developed a multi-region campaign consisting of digital, OOH, retail and radio to introduce the new Don Francisco's Family Reserve line of coffee to the world.

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One of the most innovative properties on the Las Vegas strip needed to reintroduce themselves to a new audience. We balanced the perfect amount of class and humor to take the piss out of an old classic.

We gave a whimsical glimpse into how the “Average Joe” could aspire to #LiveLikeACaesar everytime they stayed at Caesars Palace.