Sesame Street Sustainability Partnership
The Sesame Street Sustainability Partnership was a collaborative effort between United Airlines and Sesame Street, aimed at promoting United's Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) initiatives. The campaign featured Oscar the Grouch, Sesame Street’s expert in all things trash, as United’s newly appointed “Chief Trash Officer (CTO),” using humor and Oscar’s unique style to promote sustainability.
This large-scale project spanned multiple teams and platforms, including website and app homepage placements, a teaser page, and a dedicated landing page. The initiative also involved a paid Google search campaign and an engaging email promotion, all of which helped raise awareness about United's efforts toward creating a more sustainable future.
Key campaign goals
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United is helping shape a future powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which, incredibly, can even be made from trash!
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Why SAF? It can reduce aircraft greenhouse gas emissions by up to 85% over its lifecycle compared to traditional jet fuel.
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To revolutionize the industry, we need more people to recognize the potential of trash and support SAF’s transformative impact.
Role
Senior UX Designer
Date
Live February 28, 2023
Teams involved
UX Design, Digital Publishing, UX Copy Writing, Content Strategy, Personalization, SEO, Digital Marketing, Marketing Ops, Marketing, Editorial, Sesame Street Team
Key Deliverables
Development Collaboration
Worked closely with the development team to ensure complex visual elements were implemented smoothly.
Legal and Brand Reviews
Every iteration required approval from both United's and Sesame Street's legal teams, with a minimum 5-day turnaround meaning tight timelines for design revisions
Multichannel Campaign
Targeted ads directed users to the landing page to drive traffic and a lighthearted email from Oscar the Grouch helped keep users engaged and tied back to the overarching theme of sustainability.
Teaser Landing Page
Launched in sync with social media promotion to build anticipation.
Custom Landing Page
UX Design: The main focus of the campaign, this page featured a breakdown of the SAF process through Oscar the Grouch’s perspective.
Unique Design Elements
Oscar worthy visuals, featuring dynamic page tear transitions, custom illustrations and promo video highlighting SAF's importance in a playful, branded style.
Key Visuals
Oscar the Grouch as Chief Trash Officer (CTO)
Dynamic SAF video promotion
Custom illustrated SAF points presented as used receipts on a paper carousel
A personalized letter from Oscar
Final Design
The Sesame Street Sustainability Partnership resulted in a memorable and engaging campaign, successfully blending sustainability messaging with entertainment. The playful, Oscar-the-Grouch-themed landing page and content not only captured the attention of a broad audience but also effectively communicated United’s commitment to SAF, contributing to the overall success of United's sustainability marketing efforts.
Challenges & Learnings
The Need for Speed
Managing legal reviews across multiple teams with strict deadlines highlighted the importance of efficient workflows and fast iterations.
Designing for Developers
Collaborating with developers on out-of-the-box digital assets was essential. Complex design elements, such as the paper tear transitions, required close communication and testing to ensure they worked seamlessly across different platforms and devices.
Balancing Brands
Striking a balance between United Airlines' brand standards and Sesame Street’s fun, iconic style was challenging but necessary. Every design decision had to align with both United’s corporate image and the playful nature of Sesame Street.
Success
This project showcased the power of collaboration across multiple teams, from UX design to digital marketing, and demonstrated how thoughtful design can bring important messages to life in a fun and impactful way.
The page has since be sunsetting due to the contracts ending, but the campaign can still be viewed on the creative agency portfolio that partnered with United and Sesame Street.