Russell Wilson – Alaska Airlines Brand Ambassador Campaign

Introducing the Chief Football Officer -- A New Brand Icon in a Multi-Media Campaign

Alaska Airlines had long been part of the sports sponsorship landscape in Seattle, but in 2013, a rival airline bought up the sponsorship of the Seattle Seahawks.  In turn, Alaska Airlines signed the team’s star quarterback, Russell Wilson and hired Linksmith to lead a multi year integrated campaign to maximize the partnership and energize the brand.  The effort entailed:

  • Campaign strategy

  • Television advertising

  • Radio, print, outdoor and digital advertising

  • Integrated marketing

  • Social media engagement

  • Experiential event ideation and execution

  • Cause marketing

 

Alaska Beyond – New Product Branding

Building the brand by unifying features into one powerful product identity.

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This project united a multitude of cabin, amenity and service improvements into one memorable brand naming system – Alaska Beyond.  In the course of this project, which spanned many departments and people, Linksmith helped with the following disciplines:

  • Primary consumer research

  • Concept testing

  • Naming

  • Brand architecture

  • Partner marketing

  • Campaign strategy and briefing

  • Celebrity marketing

 

The Alaska Airlines Plane Pull for Strong Against Cancer

Cause Marketing Featuring Team Russell Wilson and Team Joel McHale..

This event was an excellent example of a brand building energy through connections with popular celebrities in an event that truly engaged fans in person and via social media, all for a noble cause -- ending childhood cancer.  Linksmith led the overall effort, including ideation, co-marketing with Seattle Children's Hospital, celebrity negotiation, and agency management through execution.

  • Celebrity partnerships

  • Cause marketing

  • Brand experiences

  • Social media momentum

  • Publicity – earned media