Alaska Airlines Celebrates Merger With Virgin America by Showcasing Unexpected, Brilliant Pairings

In any great story, or with any great meal, opposites tend to attract. Salty and sweet, comedy and romance, chocolate and bacon, itsy-bitsy wiener dogs and massive lions. And now Alaska Airlines and Virgin America. The merger of the two airlines, which was first announced in April, is now official. In celebration of the union, Mekanism created its first campaign for the brand, "Different Works," highlighting the fact that while the pairing may seem odd, it's really a great fit. Mekanism won the Alaska account in February after Wongdoody had it for over 20 years. "I think there's a lot of uncertainty about how these two brands can live together," Sangita Woerner, vp of marketing, Alaska Airlines, said. "We thought why don't we get out there ... with our own point of view, and our point of view is that yeah, on the outside our brands look different, but on the inside there are so many similarities," from customer service to how both brands feel about innovation. With the latest work Mekanism and Alaska needed to "convert the skeptics and give them a reason to believe," Matt Stafford, creative director at Mekanism said. With that idea in mind, and an end goal of making flying better for everyone, the "Different Works" campaign came to life. The work feels similar to the popular Android "Friends Furever" spot created by Droga5, but with less of a focus on unlikely cuddly animal pairings and more of a focus on two unlikely things coming together to create something incredible, like fried chicken on top of waffles or biking down a snowy mountain. "What we really wanted to do was lean in and acknowledge the truth. On the surface these airlines are different but underneath there are a lot of similarities," Mike Zlatoper, evp, managing director, Mekanism, said. "Some of the best stories are about two different things coming together, whether it's a romantic comedy or Romeo and Juliet. Opposites come together with a common goal." Earlier in the week, Alaska celebrated the union with a few fun initiatives at different airports across the country. The airline handed out donuts topped with bacon and caramel doused in salt, again showing the idea that while the pairings may seem unlikely, they somehow end up working together in the best way. The campaign also includes some out of home work, digital display, print and a big social push. CREDITS Agency: Mekanism Client: Alaska Airlines President/CEO: Jason Harris Executive Creative Director: Tommy Means EVP, Head of Creative/Design: Tom Lyons Creative Directors: Matt Stafford & Hart Rusen Art Directors: Patrick Nelson & Sean Hamilton EVP, Managing Director: Michael Zlatoper Director of Brand Management: Anna Boyarsky Brand Director: Caroline Paik Brand Manager: Mellie Lutz Head of Planning, West: Jeremy Daly Communications Strategy Director: John-James Richardson Head of Production: Kati Haberstock Director of Print Production/Art Buying: Frank Lewis Producer: Megan Ubovich Print Producer: James Sablan Senior Production Artist: Jose Paz Print Project Manager: Mariah Gill-Erhart Stock Footage House: STALKR Stock Producer: George Alvarez Stock Executive Producer: Carly Lagoda Music Producer: Janet Billig Rich Editorial: Nomad Editor: Jared Coller Assistant Editors: Collin Ketterer, Dani Weltman Post Producer: Gabrielle Page Post Executive Producer: Susye Melega Sound Engineer: Nomad Editing Co. / Tom Stamatio Motion Graphics: Nomad VFX / Josh Kirschenbaum Color: CO3 / Dave Hussey Print House: XYZ Prepress House

Brand Marketing

Alaska Airlines Celebrates Merger With Virgin America by Showcasing Unexpected, Brilliant Pairings

Mekanism's first work for brand

Katie Richards

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Katie Richards