Rebuilding Southwest’s Swagger: A Post-Pandemic Brand Transformation.
I am proud to protect and grow the legacy of one of the world’s more revered brands -- leading the charge thru a historical brand transformation and modernization, restoring its cultural swagger, and organizing a department for long-term brand and business growth.
When travel behavior shifted dramatically post-pandemic—and a new generation of travelers emerged—I helped lead a full brand revitalization to bring back Southwest’s beloved swagger and reintroduce the airline to an evolving marketplace.
Responsible for the Southwest brand integrity at all points of contact, I initiated a new Brand Architecture & Positioning. We reframed our strengths, giving the brand a modern, flexible foundation that could scale across every touchpoint. From there, my team and I drove the launch of The Big Flex, a fully integrated national and local brand campaign that reignited our voice, leaned into our category-leading flexibility, and reconnected Customers to what makes Southwest different.
To reach younger travelers, we launched Southwest’s first-ever segmented campaign, built an always-on influencer program, and introduced our first TikTok campaign, transforming influencers into travel agents and outperforming traditional digital creative. We also grew our influencer investment by 200% and established a scalable strategy for future growth.
As the competitive landscape shifted—and policy changes became necessary—I ensured the brand stayed ahead by modernizing customer-facing experiences across the business: elevated cabin design (including extra legroom), new fare naming, seasonal app updates, homepage and portal redesigns, and premium experience content. I also helped lead creative for major cultural moments including the “Worst Bar Ever” Superbowl campaign in Denver; SEC/Denver/San Diego/Baltimore/Hawaii activations, the solar eclipse partnership, and On Brand with Jimmy Fallon. In addition, this year we launched the creative campaign for our new Getaways vacation product and launch of two new Getaways social channels.
As the brand was reignited, I strengthened internal capabilities as well including: re-organizing our internal structure to inspire better work and facilitate more efficiency and hired key talent. We are currently working to build Southwest’s first Brand Center of Excellence including a more streamlined AEM process. and a more effective brand health reporting methodology.
Under my leadership, our latest campaign to launch assigned seating “Are you sitting down?” has achieved all-time high Ace Metrix results. Today we are currently putting our heart into repositioning Southwest for a bright future, earning the trust of our customers and prospects alike.
