Matt Rickard's profile

Delta: Select Work 2019

Project Details
Each year, the Delta sales team and Delta marketing team formulate Delta's key "pillar" messages that they want to talk about for that year and then pull in Sparks Grove to help best communicate those key messages via creative concepts and executions. Below is a selection of projects from my work at Sparks Grove on the Delta Air Lines 2019 business-to-business advertising campaign. 

Target Audience
These messages are aimed at Corporate Travel Managers and Travel Agents, who manage corporate travel for companies traveling regularly. These travel professionals negotiate contract terms with Delta for added savings and benefits.

New Campaign Strategy
2019's campaign was uniquely challenging. We had to simultaneously build our business-to-business campaign while aligning it to Delta's consumer campaign and draw parallels anywhere it made sense to do so. In addition, our full campaign strategy needed to be planned up front so that our ads would tell a progressive story throughout the entire year. The first step in the story was to create an "Anthem" ad that introduced the heart and soul of the campaign. The second step in the story was to follow with "reasons to believe" that built off of the Anthem's high-level promise.

Team Members
Not all team members listed worked on every project below
Agency: Sparks Grove
VP of Design: Anja Huebler
Senior Design Director: Henry Kim
Director of Client Services: Heather Balkema
Client Services Manager: Melissa Tiffany
Senior Designer: Matt Rickard
Senior Copywriter: Katelyn Bottoms
Campaign Introduction:
Manifesto & Rallying Cry
Print Ad:
Anthem
Goal: Introduce the overarching 2019 campaign
Image edits: before (left) and after (right)
Contrast enhancement, color edits, sculpting face with shading, colorizing shirt to be "Passport Plum", extension of image
Digital Ads:
Anthem
Homepage Takeover
A homepage takeover is when a company pays for temporary exclusivity of all ad placements on a landing page, enabling a unique and custom storytelling opportunity.
970×90 – 970×415 (Animated)
300×250 (Animated & Static)
728×90 (Animated & Static)
600×100 (Animated & Static)
300×50 (Static)
Email
Print Ad:
Best Operations
Goal: Communicate that Delta's operations empower Corporate Travel Managers to succeed.
Image edits: before (left) and after (right)
Contrast enhancement, color edits, sculpting face with shading, iris blur, added Mona Lisa smile
Digital Ads:
Best Operations
Homepage Takeover
A homepage takeover is when a company pays for temporary exclusivity of all ad placements on a landing page, enabling a unique and custom storytelling opportunity.
970×90 – 970×415 (Animated)
300×250 (Animated & Static)
728×90 (Animated & Static)
600×100 (Animated & Static)
300×50 (Static)
Email
Digital Ads:
Global Network
Goal: Communicate that Delta's global network is ideal for travel professionals.
300×250 (Animated & Static)
728×90 (Animated & Static)
300×50 (Static)
Cover Wrap:
Delta Difference
A "cover wrap" is a 2-page print ad placement where the ad starts on the front ("outside") cover and continues to the inside cover (back of front cover).
Goal: Communicate that Delta's people and culture make the difference for Corporate Travel Managers.
Sketch Concepts and Photoshoot Recommendations
We needed to convey the story and details of the ideal shot to the photographer, so we created some directional sketches and detailed notes to accompany them to make it clear for him and his team to understand our concept.
Photoshoot Location: Austin, TX Sky Club
Upon arriving on location I art directed the models' outfits, set up the conference table to match the vision, set up an overlay file to help the photographer see how he needed to frame the shot, and coordinated with the client with progress shots and status updates. The process was very collaborative. Not only did we get the perfect shot, but I had fun doing it.
Final Layout
Image edits: before (left) and after (right)
Contrast enhancement, color edits, sharpening, added lapel pin, swapped background wall, darkened background, re-colored desk, added back colored reflections, extended image upward, cleaned up beard
Image edits progression
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Delta: Select Work 2019
Published:

Delta: Select Work 2019

A selection of projects from my work at Sparks Grove on the Delta Air Lines 2019 business-to-business advertising campaign. 

Published: