Zubi Advertising Creates Diversity mainstream Campaign For American Airlines.

Zubi Advertising was chosen by American Airlines to execute its diversity strategy for the general market. The Coral Gables (Florida) based shop with offices in Detroit, Dallas, and Los Angeles, competed for the AA business with Global Hue, a leading multicultural agency.

Zubi’s campaign highlights American Airlines’ commitment to workforce diversity. “Rather than following the standard, tried and true ways of communicating diversity messages, our creative proposal is intended to put people back into the diversity message. After all, diversity is about you and me — it’s not some lofty, nebulous, corporate concept,” said Emmie Vazquez, Zubi’s vice-president and creative director. “We won the project because our creative work smashes the mold of traditional diversity advertising,” Vazquez added.

“American Airlines has had a longstanding commitment to build and sustain a culture in which all people are treated with respect -and every person can achieve personal success. Zubi was able to capture the energy and enthusiasm behind this focus – with their fresh yet confident approach to the campaign. This campaign best represents who we are today and the leader we want to be,” said Di Ann Sanchez, Vice President Diversity and Talent Management for American Airlines. The company was recently included—for the fourth time—in Working Mother magazine’s “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers” ranking, and was also included by Latina Style in its “50 Best Companies for Latinas” list. American Airlines was also recognized with the “Out & Equal Award for Workplace Excellence” for the conditions it provides to employees with various sexual preferences, the “Jerry R. Junkins Award,” and has been commended by DiversityInc.com for its pro-diversity programs.

The English language campaign, titled “Office Supplies” and designed for print media only, portrays everyday office products and contrasts them against people, to emphasize that individuals should not be objectified. The “Pencil” ad states: “All pencils are the same, but people aren’t.” “Chair” suggests that “you can choose a chair by its color, but not people.” And “Wastebasket” reads: “Many things are easy to discard. Dreams aren’t.” The ads, written by Alberto Orso and designed by Jose Reyes, have been featured in Fortune, Working Mother, and Latina Style, and will appear in other prominent publications throughout the year.

“Office Supplies” is Zubi’s first-ever campaign designed for the English speaking general market audience. Nevertheless, several of Zubi’s campaigns for clients like Ford, originally crafted for the Hispanic market, have been adapted for the general market. The most recent example of this “cross-over” is the Ford Focus TV spot “Dates.” Other forays of the agency into the general market include the “Ants” TV spot for Ford Ranger, which portrays a “colony” of hardworking pick-up trucks.

Regarding Zubi’s plans for the general market, Joe Zubizarreta, the agency’s president, stated: “As the Hispanic market continues to grow, we anticipate handling more projects that will “cross-over” into the general market. We are already addressing bilingual, bicultural Hispanics. We have already created work in “Spanglish.” We will continue to do all this and more, but we will always be seeking to reach Hispanics. We do not intend to become a general market/ multi-purpose agency.”