Tag: Mullen

World’s Toughest Job

Do you have what it takes to handle the World’s Toughest Job? Mullen, an advertising agency in Boston, posted online and in newspapers a fake “Director of Operations” job for one of their clients. With over 2.7 million impressions from the paid placement, the ad got only 24 people applicants.

These applicants were then invited for a video conference, where they were told that they had to work more than 135 hours per week, with constant mobility, keen coordination and adept communication. There would also be no breaks, no holidays, and no pay. The end result was very unexpected… šŸ˜Ž

Zappos Thanksgiving Baggage Claim

Thanksgiving Eve is one of the most stressful days to travel. So Zappos shows up in a place most people associate with impatience. The baggage claim carousel.

At Houstonā€™s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Zappos turns sections of a baggage carousel into a roulette-style game. Parts of the moving belt are marked with prizes and slogans. When your suitcase arrives and lands on a prize square, you win what it lands on. That can be a product prize or a gift card. Suddenly, the worst part of the journey becomes the most watchable part.

Why the idea works

The activation flips the emotional context. Baggage claim is pure friction. Zappos turns it into anticipation. People are already looking at the carousel. They are already waiting. The brand simply changes what ā€œwaitingā€ feels like by adding suspense and a tangible upside.

The CX mechanics are simple by design

  • No app. No instructions. You just wait as usual.
  • Instant feedback. Your bag lands. You know if you win.
  • Social energy. People around you start watching your outcome too, because it is a shared moment.

What to steal

  • Pick a real pain point where attention is already guaranteed, then redesign the emotion of that moment.
  • Make participation automatic. If people must opt in, you lose most of the crowd.
  • Use a reward that is immediate and credible, so the surprise feels real, not promotional.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Zappos Thanksgiving baggage claim activation?

A roulette-style baggage carousel game at an airport on Thanksgiving Eve where travelers win prizes based on where their luggage lands.

Why is baggage claim such a strong place for this?

It is a high-friction moment with captive attention. Everyone is already watching the belt and waiting.

What is the core experience design principle?

Reduce friction by changing the emotion of the same behaviour. Waiting stays the same, but it becomes suspense and delight instead of irritation.

JetBlue: Nothing to Hide

JetBlueā€™s ground rule for the sky

JetBlue has a new credo: ā€œIf you wouldn’t take it on the ground, don’t take it in the air.ā€ The carrier’s first ads from Mullen were described at the time as using hidden cameras in Manhattan to illustrate the point. The clip thatā€™s still available is the CEO version. JetBlue’s CEO, Dave Barger, has a lot to say and nothing to hide.

What this execution is really selling: transparency as a brand behavior

This is not a product demo. It is a credibility play. Putting the CEO front and center makes the promise feel like an internal standard, not just a campaign line.

When a service brand uses leadership voice in a short spot, it is trying to compress distance: less ā€œcorporate statement,ā€ more ā€œhereā€™s what we stand for.ā€

In service categories where trust is fragile, a simple fairness test plus a human spokesperson can communicate differentiation faster than feature claims.

Why the credo works

The line is a mental model. If a behavior feels unacceptable in a taxi, store, or restaurant, it should feel unacceptable in an airplane cabin too. That reframing lets people judge the category with everyday rules they already believe in.

It also sets up a repeatable platform. Once you establish the ā€œground test,ā€ you can attach it to almost any customer irritation without changing the core message.

The business intent hiding in plain sight

This is competitive positioning disguised as common sense. The brand is implicitly calling out industry behaviors customers resent, then claiming the moral high ground by promising not to play those games.

Even if you never remember the details of the ad, you remember the test. That is the goal.

What to steal if you want a promise people repeat

  • Make the line a test, not a slogan. If people can apply it to new situations, it travels.
  • Put a real human behind the promise. A credible spokesperson turns positioning into accountability.
  • Keep the claim grounded in everyday fairness. ā€œWould you accept this here?ā€ is easier than explaining features.
  • Leave room for multiple executions. A platform is only useful if it can produce many spots without getting weird.

A few fast answers before you act

What is JetBlueā€™s ā€œNothing to Hideā€ spot about?

It uses a simple fairness credo. If you would not accept something on the ground, you should not accept it in the air. In this clip, CEO Dave Barger delivers that message directly.

Why use a CEO in an airline ad?

It signals accountability and reduces corporate distance. The promise feels like a leadership standard, not just a marketing claim.

What does ā€œIf you wouldn’t take it on the groundā€ actually do for the brand?

It gives customers a fast rule to judge airline behavior. That reframes category annoyances as unacceptable, and positions JetBlue as the alternative.

Is this a campaign line you can extend?

Yes. The ā€œground testā€ can be applied to many service irritations, which makes it a reusable platform rather than a one-off message.

What is the biggest execution risk?

If real experience does not match the fairness promise, the line becomes a liability. The clearer the credo, the higher the expectation it creates.