Despite being a relatively young company, Away has already established itself as a renowned luggage brand with millions of units sold. (Image source: Away Travel)
Aside from booking flights, accommodations, and planning your itinerary, selecting the right suitcase is one of the most important considerations when it comes to traveling. A well-chosen suitcase can help ensure a stress-free and enjoyable journey. However, with so many suitcase brands available, consumers can easily get overwhelmed, while businesses struggle to differentiate themselves. This is where Away comes in, with its unconventional marketing strategy that has helped the brand to stand out from the crowd.
Founded in 2015, Away is a New York-based luggage brand that has quickly gained popularity. Despite being relatively new to the market, the company has sold over one million suitcases and has an estimated valuation of $1.4 billion. Today, Away has expanded beyond luggage and has become a solid and innovative consumer goods brand, joining the ranks of Dollar Shave Club, which introduced the 'razor subscription service', and Casper, which sells mattresses online.
Away was founded by Steph Korey and Jen Rubio. (Image source: Away Travel)
Creating Enthusiasm for Travel Beyond Product Features
Evaluating the true success of Away cannot be reduced to sales figures alone. Founded by two young and attractive American women, Steph Korey and Jen Rubio, Away understands that the luggage market is highly competitive. Therefore, they have decided to establish the brand as a 'Cult Brand', promoting not only their products, but also a lifestyle. They actively cultivate a sense of brand identity and belonging through community building, with the goal of driving word-of-mouth marketing.
Similar to the local coffee shop 'The Alchemist Cafe', they offer more than just beverages, but also a way of living for travellers. By utilising interior design, organizing literary events, and offering self-guided trip lectures, they have effectively transformed the coffee shop into a cultural and trendy brand. When we examine other Cult Brands related to travel, such as MUJI, agnès b., and the local magazine 'Jet', we can observe a shared strategy: leveraging brand stories to generate business opportunities.
Away has also been quite unconventional in the way it allocates space within its stores. (Image source: Away Travel)
Building Customer Loyalty Through Effective Content Marketing
Like many other cult brands, Away has taken a content marketing approach. They've interviewed 40 highly regarded writers, artists, and photographers within their community and compiled their work into a book to promote travel culture. To foster customer loyalty, the book is complemented by a $225 gift card, redeemable for the purchase of their upcoming luggage line.
Running Brand Community
Away has taken a unique path towards becoming an alluring brand. Their brick-and-mortar store in the heart of New York City's prime location uses only 30% of its space to showcase luggage, while the remaining 70% is dedicated to evoking a sense of wanderlust in customers. Their ultimate goal is to create a hub for travel enthusiasts and those seeking new experiences, rather than just a retail space for luggage.
Away makes good use of social media platforms to engage with consumers. (Image source: Away Travel)
In addition to traditional marketing tactics, Away also uses social media platforms, including Instagram, for online promotion. They showcase stunning scenery from around the world to communicate their message of 'escaping the world and enjoying travel', and regularly collaborate with artists and illustrators to create unique designs on their luggage. Furthermore, they encourage customers to personalise their suitcases and share their experiences on social media. Recently, the brand held a design competition with limited-edition Away luggage as prizes, successfully bringing their online community into the offline world.
Apart from podcast, Away even published its own magazine. (Image source: Away Travel)
Make the Brand More Meaningful
Furthermore, Away has introduced its own podcast, 'Airplane Mode', and a printed quarterly magazine called 'Here'. The content features a series of interviews titled 'Packing with the Stars', which includes British pop singer Charli XCX among its guests. By collaborating with celebrities, the brand aims to craft a travel lifestyle image and evoke a sense of purpose in its customers, implying that purchasing Away products enables them to the essence of travel.
To conclude, I won't delve into the specifics of Away's luggage features here, since, just like what you see on the baggage carousel at the airport, it's difficult to discern what makes Away stand out. However, like a newborn baby, if the brand is nurtured with care and attention, it will grow and mature, and eventually find its own unique identity. This is where the true value of brand building lies.
