United Airlines — Chief Trash Officer

United wants to rally support for sustainable aviation fuel, a lower carbon jet fuel made from waste. So they need someone to help make this complicated topic easy to understand. Someone to help tell the world what garbage can do. Someone who has always believed in trash’s potential. Yep, there was only ever one grouch for the job.

THE CAMPAIGN

Oscar’s hiring journey begins where it should—in the garbage, where he stumbles upon a job listing for Chief Trash Officer.

Not to *spoil* it, but Oscar got the job!

On Oscar’s first day, a real United flight attendant (also named Oscar) welcomes him with a little onboarding session.

Next, a real United pilot stops by to explain exactly what types of waste could help fly a plane.

Then it was time to introduce the Chief Trash Officer to the public and tell the world what garbage can do.

In addition to streaming, the :60 film appeared on seatback screens at the beginning of every United flight.

Along with a spread in United’s in-flight magazine, Hemispheres. Click through to read.
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We announced this new garbage hire on the New York Times homepage.

And continued spreading the word about garbage, quite literally, making WASTE the Wordle word of the day.

And just like any corporate professional, Oscar has a business card. You can try emailing him....

But you might get something like this back:

CAMPAIGN RESULTS

In the first four weeks alone, we garnered an earned reach of 645M and 1.5M impressions. Over 15,000 people contributed to United’s Sustainable Flight Fund. And most importantly, other airlines began making major SAF investments in response.

Plus, we received a whole lotta love for this personality hire.

Watch the case study here:

So what’s next? Oscar is on the job! Stay tuned for Part II to see what he does in his first year as CTO. But for now.....

Press:
Featured in The Washington Post, Fortune, Forbes, USA Today, Yahoo News, TimeOut, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Muse by Clio, AdWeek and more.

Awards:
Drum Awards — Winner — Creative Thinking for Good
Drum Awards — Winner — Social Purpose in Environment & Sustainability
Anthem Award — Finalist — Sustainability, Climate & Environment
Anthem Award — Finalist — Community Voice Award
Campaign BIG Award — Finalist
Act Responsible CARE Award — Finalist (Only finalist from the U.S.! )
Gerety Awards — Finalist — Communication Cut, Strategy
Cresta Awards — Finalist — Social Impact
The Drum U.S. Ad of the Day

Made at 72andSunny LA with a total garbage team:
Creative Directors: Maddie McDowell, Tim Howman
Art Director: Tessa Memmott
ECD: Lauren Smith
CCO: Matt Murphy