Overview

About Away & the Campaign

Away is a direct-to-consumer travel brand that built strong awareness through visually driven storytelling. Instagram played an important role in its growth by presenting travel as an experience and positioning luggage as part of a modern, aspirational lifestyle.

Rather than selling suitcases as a commodity, Away used content to sell the feeling of travel itself.

Content Marketing Strategy

Instagram Lifestyle Content as the Growth Engine

Away uses Instagram as a visual storytelling platform, connecting its products with modern travel culture through a mix of aspirational and community-created content.

Travel lifestyle photography
User travel stories & destination posts
Influencer travel collaborations
Airport, hotel & city visuals
Minimalist product-in-use imagery
Strategy Approach

4 Pillars Behind the Instagram Engine

✈️

Lifestyle-First Branding

Away showcases travel experiences, aspirational destinations, and modern mobility — making the suitcase part of a wider travel identity rather than a standalone purchase.

📷

Visual Storytelling

Content is clean, minimal, high-quality, and emotionally aspirational, with travel as the central focus and products woven naturally into the narrative.

🤝

Influencer & Community Integration

Away collaborates with travel influencers, photographers and frequent travellers, whose community-created content makes the brand feel authentic rather than promotional.

🎒

Subtle Product Positioning

Products appear naturally in airport scenes, hotel rooms, and travel photography — creating product desire without relying on aggressive sales messages.

Funnel Impact

How Lifestyle Content Moves Buyers Through the Funnel

Top of
Funnel

Awareness — Travel Inspiration

Travel inspiration and destination content increase awareness among people who love to travel.

Middle of
Funnel

Consideration — Influencer Experiences

Influencer experiences and user stories build credibility and interest around the product.

Bottom of
Funnel

Conversion — Real-World Visibility

Real-world product visibility helps customers imagine using the luggage during their own journeys, moving them toward purchase.

Why It Works

The Strategic Advantages of This Approach

❤️
Strong Emotional Connection

The strategy builds a strong emotional connection with people who aspire to travel.

🔁
Encourages Participation

Its Instagram-friendly aesthetic encourages shares, saves, tags, and user participation.

✅
Trust Through Community

Influencer and customer content increases trust while presenting Away luggage as an essential travel companion.

🌍
Global, Scalable Appeal

Travel is a universal aspiration, giving the content broad, cross-border relevance.

Measurable Results

The Numbers That Prove the Model Works

10×
Instagram follower growth within ~1 year
~100K
Instagram followers by August 2017
600/676
Instagram posts from user-generated content
15M
Users reached organically via community posts
$12M
First-year sales
$100M
Series D funding raised in 2019
⭐
$1.4 Billion Valuation
Away achieved a $1.4 billion company valuation within approximately three years of launching — one of the fastest valuation climbs in DTC history.
Key Outcome

What Away Actually Achieved

  • Transformed Instagram into a brand aspiration and community engine
  • Generated large-scale organic reach through user-generated content
  • Encouraged customer participation at a level rare for a physical product
  • Supported rapid commercial growth and international recognition
  • Reached a $1.4 billion valuation within roughly three years of launch
Conclusion

The Bigger Lesson for Brands

Away’s Instagram strategy demonstrates how visual storytelling, user-generated content, and aspirational branding can transform a practical product into a lifestyle symbol.

The Core Principle: Sell the Feeling, Not the Feature

By connecting luggage with memorable travel experiences, Away increased engagement, strengthened demand, and built a highly recognisable position in the travel market.