How does a 85-year-old company relate to the social media crowd while maintaining the integrity of the brand? The answer: Make ’em smile! In 2013, Delta Air Lines leveraged a simple, witty and brand-appropriate approach to its social content on Twitter. By integrating pop culture moments into its messaging, Delta Air Lines was able to grow its Twitter follower count by nearly 50%. This increase connected the dots by having a brand voice that entertained Delta’s audience, while maintaining the company’s marketing message and commitment to customer service. Delta Air Lines used Twitter as a platform to demonstrate how brands can be both customer oriented and clever – by huddling the team together for real-time content creation during cultural moments in time, such as The VMAs, or by tracking what’s trending via social listening tools. The Twitter audience related to Delta Air Lines just as they would relate to the person sitting next to them on a plane. On Twitter, where ‘Content is King,’ Delta pushed the boundaries to show that it is possible for a large airline to not just be informational but also have a great sense of humor. In 2013, Delta delivered content that captured the community and caught the media’s attention: • Baby Got Back Baby got back! We like big jets and we cannot lie, this 737 is ready to fly. pic.twitter.com/N9BaWWi3SR— Delta (@Delta) July 30, 2013 Delta’s homage to the Sir Mix-A-Lot classic led to coverage on The Huffington Post and the artist himself RTed the Tweet (the ultimate honor). This content even generated speculation that the @Delta account had been hacked! • The Royal Baby! It's a boy! Welcome, Prince of Cambridge. We can’t wait to show you the world. #RoyalBaby pic.twitter.com/yHuzCIMYD2— Delta (@Delta) July 22, 2013 A pop culture and historical moment that Delta couldn’t miss out on! The airline took a fun and timely approach on the new Prince of Cambridge. This post generated media coverage by Mashable, AdAge and ABC News. • April Fools Introducing the new Double Decker Armrest — coming soon to the middle seat. More arm space. Less elbow rubbing. pic.twitter.com/JV9tNiAfZ3— Delta (@Delta) April 1, 2013 Delta was able to “fool" a few people that their supposed double arm rests were a reality. The Today Show featured it on their April Fool’s round-up. • Lady Gaga We’ve got our @LadyGaga face on! #VMAs #gaga pic.twitter.com/FK4a8sID9v— Delta (@Delta) August 26, 2013 Who better to inspire a makeover than Lady Gaga? This post resembling the artist was posted in real time during Lady Gaga’s VMAs performance and generated over 1,300 RTs. • May the 4th be with you Looks like this 757 is a big Leia fan. May the fourth be with you! pic.twitter.com/7gcf9bmi4i— Delta (@Delta) May 4, 2013 Delta tapped into their inner-geek with this Star Wars themed image. • Happy Easter to all our Peeps ® Happy Easter to all our PEEPS®! pic.twitter.com/oRFW13yiaK— Delta (@Delta) March 31, 2013 Delta tapped into a popular Easter candy icon as a unique way to wish their community a happy holiday The @Delta 2013 Twitter content generated over 60 million online/earned media impressions. Time Magazine just named @Delta as the #10 Sassiest Brand on Twitter: http://newsfeed.time.com/2014/02/07/sassiest-brands-on-twitter-ranked/slide/delta/
