Consumers have short attention spans, and so does American Express, which has uncharacteristically abandoned its three-year-old "My life. My card" campaign in favor of one that inquires, point blank: "Are you a card member?" (Translation: "Well, why not?")
Designed to showcase the value of membership and its array of travel offerings and membership rewards, the campaign features high-profile members like snowboarder Shaun White. Launched in early April in TV, print and online venues across the nation, the promotion will be incorporated across other product marketing and sponsorship properties, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City and the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, PA. Other services include Amex express-baggage insurance and platinum card membership access to select private-airport lounges.
The two TV ads with snowboarder White include some spectacular shots of his prowess on the slopes, as he uses his Amex points to book travel online to follow the big snow from Utah to California to Canada to Japan and, finally, to Norway.
Other card benefits-and famous faces the company won't yet identify-are set to appear in ads throughout the three- to five-year life of the campaign. "We continue to share the stories of successful, accomplished people for whom success is substantial," says Diego Scotti, head of global advertising at Amex. "Although many of these people are more high-profile than famous, Amex has been defined by the people who carry and use the card. It's all about defining the aspirations of the brand through these very successful and special card members."
The print ads, which are running in The New York Times and business and lifestyle magazines, are less compelling. One says: "Are you pointing at a menu item [at a foreign restaurant], hoping it's chicken? For 24-hour card replacement, roadside assistance, translation services and all-around stress-free travel, visit americanexpress.com." Do executives really expect a cardholder to visit a Web site at 3 a.m. to get a translation for "frog legs?" Seems far-fetched. Another print ad pictures a traveler stretched out in an airport waiting room. The copy says: "Are you waiting for your flight in a chair the size of this ad? Or are you kicking back in a private airport lounge?"
The creative force behind the campaign, WPP Group-owned Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, is prevented by contractual obligations from being interviewed about the ads. Industry insiders report the campaign is priced at between $40 million to $50 million, a range Scotti won't confirm.
This is the firm's sixth campaign in 33 years; the card was rolled out in 1964. "My Life" ran three years, from 2004 to 2007. "Do more" appeared for eight years, from 1996 to 2004."Membership has its privileges" ran nearly nine, from 1987 to 1996, with a brief break. The "The card. The American Express card," was shown 11 months, from November 1991 to October 1992. "Do you know me?" ran 13 years, from 1974 to 1987. Scotti points out that the new campaign is simply the evolution of "My life. My Card." Now "we're looking closely at what consumers want. What's the value members are getting?" asks Scotti.
This campaign is more focused on "creating a single thread to help consumers understand the value of belonging to the American Express card through the different benefits," he says. In fact, an extension of the campaign is what the company calls "an innovative online program to highlight the value of membership and tap the power of the American Express cardmember community." Amex declined to provide additional details about that community, set to launch May 15. Although the 20-something snowboarder was the first big name in the campaign, Scotti says that's not because the company is aiming at that age group. "It's just a coincidence," he says. "Our strategy is to target high-spending, affluent people in a wide range of ages."
Rudy Magnani, president of Chicago advertising and marketing firm Magnani Continuum Marketing, called the television ads "exciting" and "well-directed." So well-done in engaging viewers, he says, that they were hardly aware it was a credit-card ad. He also liked the print ads, which he found effective.
That's fine with Scotti. "One of the things we're trying to do is ensure that our brand remains part of the conversation, part of popular culture, and a component of relevance and tangible value," he says. In 2006, American Express boasted 48.1 million U.S. card holders and 78 million international card holders.
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