Cannes Lions

Beyond a status symbol

AMERICAN EXPRESS, New York / AMERICAN EXPRESS / 2020

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Overview

Entries

Credits

Overview

Background

?The concept of luxury is evolving. American Express — already renowned for service and luxury­ partnerships — wanted to ensure it was staying relevant. With American Express relying less on physical communications, we needed to develop new visual and experiential tools that helped convey the idea of luxury through digital-first interactions and touchpoints.?

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$500K budget for professional fees for identity and cards.

Idea

Centurion is American Express’s exclusive, “by invitation only” Membership. We wanted to challenge ourselves to rethink the meaning of “experiential” in light of the increased demand among UHNW segment for experiences that are not only entertaining but also challenging and meaningful. According to research and the voice of the customer, this segment increasingly expects more from experiential; they increasingly view a truly great experience as one that inspires growth and learning.

Execution

American Express' Centurion membership is an invitation-only program; they do not utilize artwork in marketing the Centurion® Card. We built a system that works without artwork while still evoking a feeling of hyper-exclusivity. The cards were made with stainless steel metal. ?

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Based off the popularity of the refreshed Centurion identity, American Express introduced ART x CENTURION: A series of cards that featured exclusive Card designs from the likes of Kehinde Wiley and Rem Koolhaas. ?

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Centurion also entered the wearable space. The brand exclusively collaborated with Prada — who shared its passion for art and culture and have a reputation for experimentation and challenging convention. Through the PRADA x CENTURION project, the partnership envisioned a wearable card that is smarter and more elegant than anything previously imagined.

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Outcome

On average, across the markets that have launched so far, we have seen 85% on-demand from members, which is the highest on-demand we have ever seen. For comparison, the 2017 US Platinum Metal Card launch saw an on-demand of about 20%. ?

In terms of customer choices, 65% of members are choosing Art Cards and 90% are choosing a Wearable.

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