A New Identity for a New Platform

The core idea behind Etta was inspired by the acronym "Easier to travel anywhere," reflecting our commitment to making business travel a seamless experience.

Visual Identity

We developed a visually captivating identity for Etta. The word mark, adorned with a directional arrow pointing towards the future, embodied our vision of progress. This distinct design language paved the way for a complete pictographic system, injecting warmth and approachability into otherwise mundane interactions and communications.

Standing Out in a Crowd

How to stand out in a sea of competitors? By understanding the needs and emotions of business travelers and travel managers, we developed a compelling voice that resonated with both. Our focus on empathy led us to create a verbal and visual identity that captured our human-centered view of the world.

Project Scope

Our comprehensive program unfolded across multiple phases: in-depth research laid the groundwork for a strategic roadmap, a meticulously crafted brand identity encapsulated our empathetic approach and finally, a powerful brand campaign to unveil our transformative vision.

Engaging with Audiences in a Virtual World

When Covid locked down in person events, we pivoted and developed one of the first and most highly attended virtual summits - Miles Ahead.

Key Objectives

• Unveiling the Rebrand: We used the event to showcase our new brand, capturing the essence of our evolution and commitment to excellence.

• Launching the New Platform: The summit provided the ideal platform to introduce our latest creation - Etta.

• Engaging the Audience: Creating a dynamic and interactive experience, the summit helped us foster direct connections with our audience, and gather valuable insights and feedback.

Impact

Miles Ahead generated 6,000 registrants, $20M in pipeline and significant buzz within the corporate travel industry, positioning Deem as a pioneer of change and innovation. Attendees were impressed by the rebrand's modernity and the platform's potential to transform travel management.

Connecting with Candidates Around the World

Driving Impact at Large Scale Events

The GBTA Convention is the largest corporate travel event in the U.S. The marketing team invested heavily in a coordinated presence, including: expo floor, customer video interviews, media sessions, hosted town hall and education panels. 

Engaging with Audiences Through Valued Content

The marketing team invests heavily in targeted content across multiple channels.

Launching a New Partnership

MasterCard tasked the Northstar marketing team to create a thought leadership series targeted at the corporate travel industry. The team created the IN: Business Travel platform, including a website, blog and video content. 

Reaching New Audiences

The Phocuswright Conference audience was lacking diversity in gender and age. We assembled a team to create The Young Leaders Summit - a group of 35 travel professionals under the age of 35. They participate in a specialized program at The Phocuswright Conference, including group activities, guest speakers and networking. The program has changed the face of the larger conference - bringing people from around the globe, women and young entrepreneurs to the event. 

Identifying Travel Agent Aspirations

The marketing team at Northstar Travel Group launched a series of new events targeted at high-end travel agents. The event needed to stand out in an already crowded market and appeal to more than rational benefits of attending. We conducted a series of research interviews with travel agents to uncover their deeper goals and aspirations.

Positioning Phocuswright

Phocuswright's core mission is predicting the future of travel technology and acting as a travel company’s indispensable partner. We created a campaign that positioned Phocuswright as a modernized brand that still reflected its history and authority. 

Expanding into New Markets

Phocuswright was looking to extend its event expertise into the European market. The brand and design required a more inclusive and conversational approach than the U.S. entity. Our team created a series of assets highlighting the level of discourse an attendee could expect at the event.

Refreshing an Old Brand

Northstar Travel Group inherited the Cruiseworld brand in its old and stagnant state. The team completed an overhaul of the brand identity, positioning and messaging that modernized and globalized the entire suite of assets. 

Driving Demand

A market survey revealed prospects were unfamiliar with the company's research and event offerings. The marketing team produced a series of videos that explained Phocuswright's products and services. The series was unveiled at The Phocuswright Conference and distributed through the corporate website, via social media sites and YouTube. The campaign contributed 17% to sales growth.

Engaging Discerning Consumers

As Director of Marketing at Stay Aspen Snowmass, I led the team and agency responsible for creating campaigns that captured the spirit of the Aspen Snowmass destination and connected with affluent consumers. We created a multi-channel campaign that included direct mail, editorial, video, email, and website. The campaign won an American Advertising Federation Suncoast Gold ADDY Award, web traffic increased 57% from 2007 to 2008, and accommodation bookings increased 28%.