At Delta Air Lines, community management means not just connecting within our community but also finding opportunities to meaningfully engage beyond it to show the world on social who the brand is and what we stand for. For us, the power of travel isn’t only connecting people to places, it’s connecting people to people, or even people to potential.
That’s why when we saw a viral TikTok video of a little boy, Nathan, enthusiastically performing a song from Matilda the Musical while riding with his family in the car, we saw an opportunity for Delta to fuel a dream.
One look at the video and you’ll see why the theater community rallied around this future star on social. Now, singing musicals in the car is great, but there’s nothing like seeing them on a Broadway. We replied to the video and surprised the whole family with a trip to NYC, including flights and a gift card to see a Broadway show.
From there, we rolled out the red carpet for the family’s trip, giving them first-class upgrades and Delta Sky Club access where employees went above and beyond to make Nathan feel like the star he was born to be.
Nathan’s mom, Samantha, posted her excited reaction on TikTok and Twitter/X, and the posts received over 1.3MM views. It got the attention of Broadway vets and other brands who also wanted to help make Nathan’s trip special. Samantha posted throughout the experience, culminating in their visit to MJ the Musical where Nathan received a BTS tour and found himself on a real Broadway stage. His reaction was everything – a realization of what his life could be.
Media picked up the story with 247 placements and over $1.7MM in earned media value (including a Today Show segment and interview). On social, people applauded Delta, some saying they were proud to be customers and others even suggesting they’d book with Delta for future trips.
Nathan’s original TikTok video of him singing in the car didn’t mention Delta, and it didn’t need to. With a clear understanding of who Delta is and the value we bring to our social community, we showed what the Delta difference can mean to a single person, and that gesture spoke volumes for the brand.
