American Express Company: Seinfeld campaign (1995)

William D. Baue

The article sets out the changing position of American Express using Jerry Seinfeld as a celebrity endorser during their advertisement campaigns in the 1990’s.

American Express Company: Seinfeld campaign

William D. Baue

Overview

"Rags-to-Riches II," a 60-second commercial for the American Express Company (AmEx) featuring spokesperson Jerry Seinfeld, revived an idea hatched by the company's longtime ad agency, Ogilvy & Mather, New York, in the original 1968 spot, "Rags-to-Riches." The plotline for the new spot, which first aired during the 1995 Super Bowl, picked up on the story in the older spot—both featured a shipwrecked man who used his American Express card to charge his way out of a bind—but the remake ran twice as long, as Seinfeld tried to charm his way into...

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