Delta Launches Advertising Campaign to Support Updated Look and Reinvigorated Customer Experience

New “Change” campaign draws on Delta’s strong heritage of customer service and innovation and reflects the airline’s commitment to completely change the travel experience

NEW YORK, May 7, 2007 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is launching a new advertising campaign today to mark a new era, introduce an updated, boldly modern corporate brand and showcase a reinvigorated customer experience. The campaign, entitled “Change,” honors Delta’s strong 78-year heritage with a renewed sense of vitality and is focused on Delta’s effort to rethink every moment of the of the travel experience, enhancing the time customers spend at each stage of their journey – from trip planning to arrival – to make it as rich and rewarding as possible.

This innovative multi-million dollar campaign showcases Delta’s new corporate brand identity – a striking three-dimensional, red “Widget” logo that was unveiled on April 30 – and reflects the airline’s refreshed focus to completely change the customer travel experience, both on the ground and in the air through unique, stylish and entertaining enhancements.

“Every element of this campaign is focused on how Delta is changing the travel experience for our worldwide customers, with tangible benefits including industry-leading in-flight entertainment, signature cocktails and time-saving self-service technology, among many others,” said Tim Mapes, vice president of Marketing for Delta. “The campaign communicates how we have modernized, upgraded and reinvigorated the airline, and we’re continuing to change. We’re also introducing an innovative, interactive component that will soon invite our customers to provide feedback on their travel experience and share ideas that will allow us to continue to serve them better.”

SS+K, Delta’s advertising agency, conceived the creative for the campaign that will include TV, radio, print and outdoor ads. Modem Media, one of Delta’s other agency partners, oversees the online elements. The campaign will run nationally and locally, in New York and Atlanta. Print ads will run in newspaper and magazines, including The New York Times, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Wired, Golf Digest, Bon Appetit, Food + Wine and Portfolio. Television ads – featuring actual Delta employees – will include 60-second, 30-second and 15-second spots and will begin airing the week of May 7 in New York and Atlanta. In New York, the ads will air on local spot television and cable networks and will air on TBS national/local and Fox Sports Network (FSN) in Atlanta. Outdoor ads will include billboards in New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles as well as bus shelters, phone kiosks, branded subway trains and station domination in New York City.

“Delta is doing what no other airline has had the guts to do,” said Lenny Stern, founding partner of SS+K. “It’s acknowledging the 800-pound gorilla in the room for travelers – that the travel experience can sometimes be frustrating and annoying. Through creative messaging, it’s clearly stating that change is the only acceptable option to respond to customer needs. By being honest about what is at stake, customers can believe Delta is also being honest about how they are changing with a keen focus on making make every moment of the travel experience better.”

Modem Media has created a new Web site for Delta, dubbed delta.com/change, which also launches today. The site will ultimately enable travelers to participate in a dialogue about their travels, share ideas, travel tips and provide feedback, in order to help with Delta’s ongoing commitment to change. Online ads will also appear on Yahoo!, Ad.com, AOL, The New York Times, New York Magazine, LinkedIn, CondeNet, CNN, CBS, Farecast and Weather.com.

Campaign touts modern look
Lippincott Mercer developed Delta’s updated look, which appears in the new advertising and on more than 900 Delta and Delta Connection aircraft, in more than 300 airports, on Delta’s award-winning delta.com Web site, as well as in all advertising and printed material. As part of the re-branding process, Delta also engaged a diverse group of employees to help in the transformation of the Delta brand. The current brand honors the most famous version of the Delta “Widget,” maintaining its sharp lines and vertical position.

“The brand identity program signals to the world that Delta is eager to regain its leadership position and is committed to improving the customer experience,” said Connie Birdsall, creative director for Lippincott Mercer. “Delta’s updated look is bold and confident and connects to the customer with honesty, respect and authenticity.”

In recent months, Delta has put in place elements of a stylish, inviting new look and feel, from refurbished aircraft cabins with comfortable all-leather seats to designer uniforms to renovated facilities and additional Crown Room Clubs®. These enhancements are the touchstones for a fresh, new Delta brand – with more to come. In addition to the ad campaign, the updated brand began appearing this month on Delta airplanes and at airports including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, New York’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, with more to come.

Delta Air Lines offers customers service to more destinations than any global airline with Delta and Delta Connection carrier service to 311 destinations in 52 countries. With more than 60 new international routes added in the last year, Delta is adding international flights at a faster rate than any other major U.S. airline and is a leader across the Atlantic with flights to 32 trans-Atlantic destinations. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers more than 600 weekly flights to 58 destinations. Delta’s marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on nearly 15,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 462 worldwide destinations in 98 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.

News media note: Print ad example and 60-second TV spot are at media.delta.com - Research.

Contact Information

Katie Connell

Senior Manager - Media Relations

Delta Air Lines

Contact via E-mail