AMEX & ALITALIA

The Situation

American Express and Alitalia ran a co-branded credit card with a miles reward system. The brief was to create an OOH campaign for Linate and Fiumicino airports that would drive sign-ups for the Alitalia American Express card.

The challenge was to bring two premium brands together in a way that felt distinctive, while giving the campaign enough visual impact to compete in one of the most demanding environments for OOH.

The Approach

The concept started with a simple question: "Where will your next purchase take you?" Each execution answered it with the name of an Alitalia destination set in oversized typography. One letter was replaced by an object associated with that city: a joystick for the "M" in Miami, for example.

The system was designed for the airport environment: bold type, strong contrast, and an idea that could be understood at a glance. The same visual device could then travel across destinations while keeping the campaign recognisable. Working within two brand systems, every execution had to balance the distinct identities of American Express and Alitalia without allowing either to dominate the idea.

The Impact

The campaign ran for more than three years across Linate and Fiumicino airports. In an environment where OOH campaigns typically rotate quickly, its longevity demonstrated that the creative system could remain relevant without becoming repetitive.

The destination-based typographic system also made the campaign easy to extend. New locations could be introduced without changing the core idea, allowing the work to grow while retaining a consistent visual identity.