Delta’s purpose is to connect the world. At the core, it is committed to diversifying travel culture and fighting for a more welcoming world. To help them embody their commitment, we partnered with Delta to develop its DEI strategy and bring it to life through meaningful brand actions. The first step on our journey towards true inclusion was to address the lack of representation in travel imagery.
Our research uncovered just how exclusionary the travel industry still is, starting with its communication. Travel is often depicted as an exclusive privilege to be enjoyed by few. The industry has mostly excluded the experiences and perspectives of diverse travelers, leaving them feeling unseen and underrepresented.
• 62% of consumers aged 50-plus agreed with the statement: “I wish ads had more realistic images of people my age”; and nearly half (47%) shared that “Ads of people my age reinforce outdated stereotypes”.
(American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) survey 2021)
• Two-thirds of LGBTQ+ Americans believe representation in media is “greatly lacking,”.
(Ipsos 2021)
• Two in three Black Americans don’t feel properly represented in media.
(NRG 2020)
• 65% of Asian respondents and 60% of Hispanic respondents say they are more likely to trust brands that represent a diverse range of people.
(Ipsos 2021)
In order to connect the world, we believe we must first reflect it. The journey towards true inclusion then began with addressing the lack of representation in the industry and promoting global citizenship.
“Faces of Travel” is a long-term commitment to increase diverse representation within travel culture—from social media, to tourism ads, and everything in between.
At the heart of the commitment is a visual library showing travelers of diverse races, ages, gender identities, religious beliefs, and physical abilities. The collection was made broadly available free of charge through an exclusive partnership with Adobe Stock.
From the choice of our photographer Seo Ju Park, to our production crew, cast, locations, and activities, we thoughtfully curated a diverse team and crafted counter-stereotypical narratives to capture authentic, truthful experiences.
The initiative was also supported by two films, out-of-home, social media, influencer content, and partnerships with Vice, Refinery 29, Travel+Leisure, People, Food & Wine, Shape, and Southern Living.
Launch Film
Behind the Scenes
Behind the Scenes
Out-of-Home
Launch Event
Faces of Travel is an important step in creating a world where everyone feels welcomed. We are developing the next iteration to launch spring 2023.
The platform launched in September 2022. The campaign received coverage in Yahoo!, NBC, Essence, Travel Noire, The Root, MUSE, and AdAge.
Key results according to
Kantar in just two months.
Of US TV ads in generating
an intuitive emotional response.
Big lift on brand metrics
including “brand I love”
... and “brand that shares my values”