Away's Influencer Playbook

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses Away's social media and influencer marketing strategy, as told by Alice Chen, the Director of Social and Community at Away. It covers how Away approaches cultural relevance, adaptability, and ownable content on social media, as well as their collaborative and bespoke approach to influencer partnerships. The article also touches on how Away measures success for sponsored posts and what makes a good influencer for the brand.

🙋 Q&A

[01] Alice Chen's Background and Away's Social Media Strategy

1. What is Alice Chen's current role and her past experience?

• Alice Chen joined Away almost a year ago as the Director of Social and Community, overseeing organic social and influencer marketing.
• Prior to Away, she had roles in print editorial, digital and social media at companies like La Mer, Apple, and Hello Sunshine.

2. How would you describe Away's social media strategy?

• Cultural relevance is their North Star, and they prioritize adaptability to get there.
• They see social media as a creative playground, but they are constantly asking if the content is ownable to Away.
• Their biggest wins have been a result of their "bias to action" paired with an ownable approach.
• As a small team, they have to make quick decisions on what to engage with on social media.

[02] Away's Influencer Strategy

1. How would you describe Away's influencer strategy?

• They are working to reimagine the ways brands and influencers can work together, treating influencers as true brand and creative partners.
• They take a hands-on, collaborative, and bespoke approach, creating custom briefs for each influencer.
• They are considerate about who they work with, ensuring the influencer reflects their community and the content is authentic.

2. How has their influencer strategy evolved over time?

• They are building more structure and scalability, while still leaving room for adaptability and quick reactions.
• They are hiring a Senior Manager of Influencer and Advocacy to lead this effort.

3. How do they measure success for sponsored posts?

• They look at metrics like reach, views, engagement, link clicks, conversion, and CTR.
• They also focus on community-building, sentiment, and cultural relevance, looking at things like shares, comments, and whether the content felt organic.

4. What makes someone a good influencer for Away?

• They must be passionate about travel and have a strong point of view, story to tell, and steadfast identity and values.
• Bonus points if they can make the brand laugh.

5. Can you provide examples of successful influencer collaborations?

• The Pride campaign with designer Willie Norris and NYC drag artist West Dakota
• The limited edition Island Pink collection launch, which featured a targeted influencer seeding approach and gave influencers creative freedom

6. How do influencers show up on Away's owned channels?

• They experiment with both collab posts and influencer content exclusive to Away's channels, depending on the campaign goals.

7. What 3 tips would you give other brands on working with influencers and creators?

• Treat them as creative partners
• Be willing to take risks and expand your influencer network
• Trust your team's decisions on social, influencer, and creative