American Why

Project Title: American Why: Empowering Team Members to Live the Brand Purpose

Objective:

To inspire team members to connect their individual roles within American Airlines to the company’s overarching purpose: “Caring for people on life’s journey.” This campaign sought to foster engagement and demonstrate how every team member, regardless of their role, contributes to delivering on this promise, especially during a challenging period marked by the pandemic.

My Role:

• Concept Development: Proposed and developed the “American Why” campaign, including the creation of innovative “Madlib-style” graphics to help employees visualize their impact on customers and fellow team members.

• Creative Leadership: Led the project from ideation to execution, overseeing the key graphic designer and ensuring the visuals aligned with the campaign’s goals.

• Strategic Engagement: Partnered with the VP of Corporate Communications to address the challenge of morale and purpose alignment, sparking broader discussions about long-term brand purpose communication.

• Campaign Execution: Developed and presented a wide range of creative options, driving a meaningful conversation across the organization about living the brand purpose.

Challenges:

• Morale Boosting During the Pandemic: Addressing low team member morale by creating a campaign that felt personal, impactful, and aligned with the company’s values.

• Universal Relevance: Ensuring the messaging and creative elements resonated with employees across all roles and departments, fostering a sense of unity and purpose.

Outcome:

• Increased Engagement: Encouraged team members to reflect on their individual contributions to the company’s mission, reinforcing their sense of purpose and belonging.

• Broader Discussions: Sparked leadership discussions on long-term strategies for embedding the brand purpose into daily operations and communications.

• Creative Recognition: The campaign’s visuals and concepts were recognized for their innovative approach, demonstrating the power of storytelling in internal communications.