American Express Company: Seinfeld campaign

Mark Lane

In 1992, American Express signed relatively unknown Jerry Seinfeld for their advertising campaign, with objective of reducing their market share deficit.

American Express Company: Seinfeld campaign

Mark Lane

OVERVIEW

Although the American Express Company (AmEx) had built its brand on an idea of exclusionary "membership," its elitist image proved a weak spot in the 1980s and 1990s, when competitors such as Visa and MasterCard eroded AmEx's market share by positioning themselves as more convenient alternatives. One of the AmEx marketing moves meant to counteract the company's outdated image was enlisting the comedian Jerry Seinfeld in 1992 as a collaborator on TV commercials that reproduced the observational comedy of his stand-up routine and of his NBC sitcom Seinfeld, which...

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