Delta CMO Alicia Tillman on Taking Over the Sphere at CES

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Welcome to this episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast. Host Jenny Rooney speaks with Alicia Tillman, CMO of Delta, fresh from the company’s headline-making centennial celebration at the Sphere during CES 2025 in Las Vegas.

They discuss the journey to creating this immersive experience, which blended airline nostalgia with future innovation through multimedia effects including scent, sound, and movement. The conversation explores how the company is revolutionizing travel through technology while keeping the human element at its core.

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“One of the things that we’ve learned a lot from customers is they value brands collabing with other brands,” she says on the podcast. “We’re becoming a distribution platform for their gateway to get into other brands.”

The conversation unpacks Delta’s ambitious vision for the future, unveiled during their Sphere showcase, including groundbreaking partnerships with brands like Uber, YouTube, DraftKings, and Roblox.

Alicia shares insights on maintaining Delta’s operational excellence while expanding into lifestyle brand territory, and discusses how AI and technology can enhance rather than replace human connection in travel experiences.

Key takeaways:

01:21 Creating an Epic CES Experience — On Delta’s Sphere activation: “I wanted to be sure that it was part of the CES footprint, and we wanted a really grand stage to be able to start Delta’s centennial year. And the Sphere being the venue as it is—there’s no place like it on Earth truly. All the multimedia and everything from scent to sound to movement.”

18:29 The Future of Travel Technology and Human Connection — Discussing innovations revealed at CES, Alicia emphasizes how Delta uses technology to enhance rather than replace human connection: “It’s only as good as what you program it to be and how you’re feeding intelligence. So you’ve gotta make sure that every ounce of data that you’re feeding in to build the intelligence is trusted, is authentic.

28:10 Evolution of a Marketing Leader — Alicia shares her career journey leading to this milestone moment at CES: “You learn the most when you’re uncomfortable, truly. And discomfort is daunting. We’ve all been there. I’m uncomfortable when I don’t know something, but I like to push through that because I believe in myself to be able to overcome it.”