Delta’s Debuts New “Kaleidoscope” Ad Campaign

Delta Air Lines has today unveiled its newest ad campaign, which doesn’t necessarily emphasize what I’d expect.

Delta brings color to travel with new ad campaign

Delta has a new 60-second ad campaign named “Kaleidoscope,” which will air during tonight’s Top Chef Season 20 premiere on Bravo, and it will be featured on TV through July. In addition to the full-length ad, there will also be shorter 6-30 second versions shown across network television, on-demand, and digital online video.

Here’s how Delta describes this ad campaign:

Through the iconic voice of recent EGOT winner, Viola Davis, the new campaign features a :60 spot showing a woman in a gray world, lost to the mundaneness of her daily routine. She then sees a Delta plane pass by and thinks, “is there more?” We then cut to the Delta gate as she prepares to board a flight –and we see the jetway opens as a portal of color. As she boards, we are instantly transported through her travels as she experiences the rich color of the world – both literally and metaphorically.

As the spot comes to a close, viewers are left with a thought-provoking statement: “…Simply opening your eyes, can open your world.” Simply put, it’s time to get out there and explore!

You can see the ad for yourself below.

My take on Delta’s new ad campaign

Airline ad campaigns generally take one of two forms — either they try to encourage travel and wanderlust, or they try to promote the product offered by an airline, or both. This ad campaign very much falls in the former category, and is intended to make people want to travel.

I’m kind of surprised to see Delta take that direction:

• This ad does nothing to tell us why we should fly Delta over a competitor
• This ad doesn’t talk at all about Delta’s product, and doesn’t highlight any of its investments, like rolling out free Wi-Fi to all SkyMiles members
• While past ads have sometimes been about business travel, this ad is clearly not focused on that, and even paints day-to-day business as a dark existence
• I’d argue that consumers don’t really need ads convincing them of why they should travel, since I think wanderlust has already been at an all-time high since travel restrictions were lifted following the pandemic

So yeah, in my opinion this is a perfectly pleasant ad that’s a reminder of how travel can bring joy to peoples’ lives. I’m just surprised that this is the direction Delta is going, not in any way highlighting why someone should fly with Delta over a competitor.

By comparison, I think the recent Singapore Airlines “Welcome to World Class” ad campaign was better executed. It manages to strike the right balance between encouraging wanderlust while also trying to explain how Singapore Airlines offers a superior inflight experience.

Bottom line

Delta has a new 60-second ad campaign named “Kaleidoscope,” intended to get viewers out of their mundane everyday lives, and transport them to somewhere more interesting. I’m a bit surprised to see Delta have an ad campaign focused exclusively on encouraging wanderlust, rather than an ad explaining why consumers should choose Delta.

What do you make of Delta’s new ad campaign?