For many years, airline advertising was outlined by miles, routes, and worth factors. However in immediately’s period of hyper-personalization, digital transformation, and cultural velocity, manufacturers want to maneuver sooner and smarter.

On this episode of The Velocity of Tradition, Matt Britton speaks with Richard Nunn, CEO of United MileagePlus, and Maggie Schmerin, chief promoting officer at United Airways. Collectively, they unpack how United is rewriting the principles of airline advertising, from loyalty built on personalization to Starlink-powered experiences and culture-driven artistic.

From pioneering new advert fashions to introducing Starlink-enabled “residing rooms within the sky,” Richard Nunn and Maggie Schmerin are ushering in a daring new chapter for the journey trade.

With a background that spans tech, finance, and journey—together with management roles at Visa and Barclays—Richard brings a contemporary, systems-thinking method to a legacy trade.

With roots in communications and public affairs, Maggie is constructing a model identification that strikes with tradition, not simply with flight schedules. From campaigns that problem class conventions to reshaping United’s artistic DNA, Maggie is ensuring the airline’s message can’t be mistaken for anybody else’s.

Episode highlights:

[01:39] Loyalty Constructed on Conduct, Not Simply Miles — Richard explains how United is popping its MileagePlus program right into a predictive ecosystem powered by a novel ID graph and personalization instruments. As an alternative of reacting to purchases, this system now anticipates them—suggesting seashore journeys in summer time or ski getaways in winter based mostly on previous conduct. Suppose Spotify Wrapped, however for journey. For manufacturers, it’s a transparent name to make use of information not only for segmentation, however to create journeys that really feel tailored.

[05:47] Assembly Vacationers The place They Scroll — Maggie shares how United resists the apparent transfer of flooding Instagram with dreamy vacation spot photographs. As an alternative, they lean into aviation-specific content material as a result of they know precisely who’s watching—die-hard aviation followers who geek out over plane options, not seashore views. Vacation spot inspiration nonetheless performs a significant function, nevertheless it’s served by way of focused instruments like “Three Good Days” and AI-assisted journey planning. The larger message? Model relevance doesn’t come from checking packing containers—it comes from understanding context. For entrepreneurs, it’s a reminder that the medium should match the second.

[09:51] Branding With out Borders (or Blue Fonts) — United used to share the identical font because the Division of Homeland Safety—and the identical shade of blue as, properly, everybody else within the trade. Maggie recounts how they redesigned their visible identification from the bottom as much as get away of the “sea of sameness” that dominates airline advertising. Now, each asset asks: may one other airline slap their emblem on this? If sure, they return to the drafting board. It’s branding by subtraction—and it really works.

[11:09] Starlink as Expertise Infrastructure — When Richard talks about Starlink, he’s not simply touting velocity. He’s speaking about what that connectivity unlocks: gate-to-gate streaming, multiplayer gaming at 30,000 ft, and even resuming your Netflix present precisely the place you left off at house. This isn’t nearly being tech-forward—it’s about eliminating friction, redefining in-flight expertise, and making journey time really feel like your time.