After time spent in lockdown in the early 2020s, many people are newly aware how valuable experiences are—they make you richer and your life more abundant. Yet, these last few years have left many of us feeling “experience-poor.”

As the champions of face-to-face connections, Delta Air Lines tasked us with inspiring travelers emerging from the travel slump of the pandemic, and proving we can bring them to new, exciting, and enriching experiences outside of their routine.

A recent study proved that the world is becoming increasingly devoid of color as trends like “greige” take over. So, to help travelers to break out of this colorless comfort zone, our film took viewers on a journey from the everyday feeling of gray sameness to the vibrant experience of discovering a never-before-seen color in a brand-new destination.

Each monochromatic image in our colorful series was given depth and stylization by being saturated in layers of a single color family. In one, our heroine runs along blue sailboats, through an indigo dawn, and past navy waves. In another, she dines on purple octopus with a pink-haired friend under neon magenta lights in an outdoor night market.

Careful consideration was given to every detail, adding additional splashes of color wherever possible. For example, in a Philippine market, a yellow tuk-tuk is in the foreground, with dusty yellow buildings behind it, while passersby carry yellow umbrellas, and a vendor in a goldenrod shirt sells orange and yellow trinkets.

Each scene’s color palette feels heightened, stylized, yet realistic. We wanted each vignette to feel gorgeously constructed, but like a real place, because each one was inspired by the real destinations Delta flies to.

Our objectives with this work were to lift brand trust and brand love, both of which we achieved: When tested, we saw a 2.4% increase in brand trust and a 7.2% increase in brand love. By the end of our campaign, 87% of respondents said “Delta is a brand I trust,” 93% said “Delta offers flights to hundreds of destinations,” and 90% said “Delta facilitates richer life experiences.”

Because our campaign visuals were brought to life with such attention to detail, Pinterest was an important partner, with a 14.2% increase in respondents who interacted with our content on the platform saying Delta was a brand they love.