Departures Social
Social media for Departures required thinking on two levels at once. The brand’s website is gated (exclusive to American Express Platinum and Centurion cardmembers) making @departures on Instagram a rare and valuable public window into that world. The channel’s visual identity was shaped with that dual purpose in mind: every post an invitation for prospective cardmembers, every story a reward for existing ones.
After 18 months of organic growth, the team turned to paid to accelerate. As art director and designer, I worked with our editorial and social teams to analyze six months of top-performing content, then translated those insights into a cohesive series of posts and stories built for both reach and resonance. The results significantly exceeded expectations: 9,727 new followers (65.6% growth), 10.4M impressions, and 164,043 link clicks (surpassing the original click goal by 613%) at a CPC 70% below benchmark.
Credits
Art Director & Designer: Morgan McMullen
Social Editor: Colette Ussery
Associate Creative Director, Copy: Jackie Risser
Motion Designer: Cindy Ho
Creative Director: Chris Mueller
Exceptional, By Design
This campaign overview captures the essence of what Departures set out to communicate: a world of exceptional people, places, and things, all in one place. The motion piece showcases top-performing editorial from the previous 18 months, from chef Andy Baraghani to sun-drenched resort escapes, brought together under a single brand promise. Designed to grow awareness and reach prospective American Express cardmembers, the campaign delivered 10.4M impressions and 164K link clicks, proving that when the creative is right, the numbers follow.
