To stand out as not only the world’s largest airline but the world’s greatest airline, we created a campaign that transformed our logo into a metaphor for flying. By using the flight symbol as a focal point, we turned a piece of long-standing heritage into a modern icon. And we transformed its shadow into a symbol of our leadership. We used aerial photography to engage our flyers in a breakthrough way, beautifully disrupting the conventions of the category. The photography included well-known landscapes that flyers would recognize and aspire to visit. And by using the American flight symbol as the focus of our creative idea, we reminded people what the brand was moving toward.

To make American Airlines relevant to a contemporary audience, we needed to turn this legacy brand into a modern icon. We started with their symbol and made it mean something greater than just an airline. It represented the greatness in flying. And instead of talking about the products and services we make, we chose to reintroduce the brand by celebrating the people that inspire us to make flying great – the world’s greatest flyers.

We spoke to the World’s Greatest Flyers through all touchpoints on a global scale. We carried our design theme and aspirational tone in out of home boards and posters in major cities and airports. Flyers also saw them in newspapers and magazines, online video and broadcast film, and as a web destination.

The campaign proved our leadership and relevance in the category with sophisticated and modern imagery that nodded to our expertise in flying, and showcased American Airlines as a brand for people like them—today’s flyers. Our audience responded positively to the imagery and engaged in the conversation in social media. The outcome of this work and the conversations it sparked increased brand engagement and perception through word of mouth. Moreover, it validated our approach to the client, showing them how behaving like a leader in the category can effectively begin transitioning American from a legacy brand to a modern icon in the eyes of their flyers.