Nearly a year after winning the American Airlines business by beating out BBH, The Martin Agency, Energy BBDO and McCann (TM Advertising had worked on the business for 25 years), CP+B has released its first campaign for the air travel giant.
The theme of the work is “World’s Greatest Flyers.” And who might these superlative flyers be?
They are people who somehow manage to keep things classy without being obnoxious about it. There’s a word for this … and we think it might be “humble.” The first spot even gets a little cosmic toward the end.
Now we want to know how the greatest flyers behave when the kid sitting behind them is kicking the seat and crying and they want to be nice but he/she just won’t stop and the flight is still well over an hour from landing and no one really wants to comment on a stranger’s parenting style but please, for the love of GOD, can you just get your freaking kid to be quiet?!
Today The New York Times covered the campaign, which includes quite a few short spots beyond the anthem above. CP+B Boulder’s chief creative Ralph Watson explained the underlying concept as such: “It’s not just like these are tips on how to be a great flier. It’s a way of thinking. It’s a slightly elevated sense of awareness for others; it’s a little bit less selfish. I think a lot of this is to recognize that behavior and help it spread.”
He then noted that the client isn’t necessarily telling travelers how to behave; it’s only making some friendly suggestions. “All we’re doing is identifying their behaviors. We’re not saying, ‘You should.'”
One “travel analyst” who spoke to Campaign about the work was quite dismissive, but we get it. Everyone wants to be a model traveler; isn’t most advertising (like most social media) all about presenting one’s best self or laughing at an embarrassing inability to do so?
Here are the additional 30-second spots, the first of which promotes a service that we would probably never get to use even if we had an unlimited amount of time on earth.
OK, see, that is swanky.
The client’s MD of integrated marketing Jennifer Adams told Campaign that CP+B developed the work by interviewing some of American Airlines’s 12,000-plus employees and figuring out what sorts of customers they like best.
VP of global marketing Fernand Fernandez told the NYT that “We really wanted to take the tone of ‘It’s really you.’ It’s you the travelers and you the employee who kind of elevates the entire mood. Let’s move that conversation from us and turn it onto them and how they really move us forward in creating a much better experience.”
The agency also created a greatestflyers.com site that includes “everything you need to be great” along with a series of print and OOH ads.
Credits
CLIENT NAME: American Airlines
CAMPAIGN TITLE: World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American
AGENCY: CP+B
VP/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ralph Watson
VP/EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Raso
VP/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: Dave Swartz
COPYWRITER: Kathy Hepenstal
VP/ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION: Sloan Schroeder
VP/EXECUTIVE VIDEO PRODUCER: Ramon Nuñez
JR. VIDEO PRODUCER: Shelby Hawkinson
EVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR: Danielle Whalen
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joselyn Bickford
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Claire Marquess
CONTENT MANAGER: Ben Song
EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MANAGER: Katherine Graham – Smith
BUSINESS AFFAIR MANAGER: Daphne Papadopulos
VP/ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Hruska
SR. STRATEGIST: Sarah Garman
STRATEGIST: Bethany Lechner
PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: Gentleman Scholar, Los Angeles, CA
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: William Campbell & Will Johnson
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jo Arghiris
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Rachel Kaminek
SENIOR PRODUCER: Tyler Locke
PROJECT LEAD: Chris Finn
COMPOSITORS: Ryan Kaplin & Romel Pablo
FLAME ARTIST: Karen Heston
PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: Plus Productions, Santa Monica, CA
EDITOR: Nick Lofting
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Bryce Harvey
SR. POST PRODUCER: Lennon Barnica
PRODUCTION COMPANY & CITY: Lime, Santa Monica, CA
ENGINEER: Mark Meyuhas
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Susie Boyajan
MUSIC COMPANY & CITY: JSM Music Inc, New York City, New York
CCO/CEO/COMPOSER: Joel Simon
COMPOSER: Jimmy LaValle (The Album Leaf)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jeff Fiorello
PRODUCER/ HEAD ENGINEER: Norm Felker
MEDIA AGENCY: MediaCom, NY
WEBSITE CREDITS
FORMAL CLIENT NAME: American Airlines
CAMPAIGN TITLE: World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American
AGENCY: CP+B
VP/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ralph Watson
VP/EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Raso
VP/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: Dave Swartz
VP/CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Peter Knierim
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Karr
SENIOR COPYWRITER: Sandra Eichner
SENIOR DESIGNER: Victor Won
DESIGNER: Brandon Gorthy
VP/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Dan Corken
INTERACTIVE PRODUCER: Morgan Burrows
ASSOCIATE EXPERIENCE DIRECTOR: David Irons
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ARCHITECTURE/TECHNICAL LEAD: Benjamin Sterling
EVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR: Danielle Whalen
VP/GLOBAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joselyn Bickford
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Claire Marquess
CONTENT MANAGER: Ben Song
VP/ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Hruska
SR. STRATEGIST: Sarah Garman
STRATEGIST: Bethany Lechner
BUSINESS AFFAIR MANAGER: Daphne Papadopulo
PRINT CREDITS
FORMAL CLIENT NAME: American Airlines
CAMPAIGN TITLE: World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American
AGENCY: CP+B
LAUNCH DATE: 8/30/16
VP/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ralph Watson
VP/EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Raso
ART DIRECTION: Michael Raso
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR/WRITER: Bryan Karr
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR/WRITER: Quinn Katherman
COPYWRITER: Kathy Hepenstal
COPYWRITER: Samantha Mindich
EVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR: Danielle Whalen
VP/GLOBAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joselyn Bickford
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Claire Marquess
CONTENT MANAGER: Ben Song
VP/ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Hruska
SR. STRATEGIST: Sarah Garman
STRATEGIST: Bethany Lechner
SR.PROJECT MANAGER: Alex Blumfelder
PROJECT MANAGER: Laura Crow
SR.ASSET PRODUCER: Dawn Morris
MEDIA AGENCY: MediaCom, NY
OOH CREDITS
FORMAL CLIENT NAME: American Airlines
CAMPAIGN TITLE: World’s Greatest Flyers Fly American
AGENCY: CP+B
VP/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Ralph Watson
VP/EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Raso
VP/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ART DIRECTION & DESIGN: Dave Swartz
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Bryan Karr
SENIOR COPYWRITER: Sandra Eichner
EVP/MANAGING DIRECTOR: Danielle Whalen
VP/GLOBAL ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Joselyn Bickford
CONTENT SUPERVISOR: Claire Marquess
CONTENT MANAGER: Ben Song
VP/ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR: Jennifer Hruska
SR. STRATEGIST: Sarah Garman
STRATEGIST: Bethany Lechner
SR.PROJECT MANAGER: Alex Blumfelder
PROJECT MANAGER: Laura Crow
SR.ASSET PRODUCER: Dawn Morris
RETOUCHING COMPANY: Primary Color
RETOUCHER: Jake Rogers
RETOUCHER: Brian Carpenter
RETOUCHER: Clifton Lee
MEDIA AGENCY: MediaCom, NY