Out there: Away’s content approach put it way ahead of the competition.

Luggage brand Away spotted a gap in the market for functional but stylish travel gear. But breaking into that market, one with entrenched players with substantial market share would take a different approach. With delays in their early product development the founders decided they would still launch, but with a book. They interviewed influential people, wrote stories about their favorite places to vacation and used their photography to illustrate a coffee table book. The book was priced at $225 and anyone who purchased it could redeem it against a product when it launched. They sold out of 2,000 copies, launching their product but also engraining content into the DNA of the company.

Once established, the brand needed to continue to connect with its audience around their interests and connect them ultimately to their product. They did this through launching Here – a lifestyle content sub-brand – they were able to create content that delivered on the needs of their users when they weren’t directly in the mindset to purchase.

Here features travel stories and city guides with content designed to inspire its users to get out, in the air or on the road and leverage the brand’s products. The articles themselves are largely editorial and merchandising content, with a blend of interviews, features and essays. Articles are repackaged into city guides which feature everything from how to shop to where to stay or eat in the city of your choice.

The brand uses individuals to tell their stories around the places they know and love. This gives the stories themselves an authenticity, with images often taken by local photographers or travelers rather than high end travel photography. This gives you the sense that you could be there, that could be your photograph or experience - driving inspiration with the audience. It’s key for the brand though that the audience moves beyond inspiration into action and much of the content is designed as actionable, ‘what to do’ or ‘how to go’. Merchandising content is designed to drive users to leverage the Away products on their trips.

Here is digital and also printed in physical copies. The investment in content has elevated their messaging above their luggage product to the experience of travel, and ensure that at every step of the journey they can deliver valuable interactions. Everything produced for Here is then repurposed and distributed across relevant channels to drive acquisition, but also engagement of current customers.

THE TAKEAWAY

• Establish a Content Positioning that enables you to develop editorial and merchandising content on brand.

• Where relevant, repackage and repurpose relevant content into series.

• Leverage individuals in your storytelling to add authenticity

• Distribute your editorial content and merchandising content across CRM and social

GO DEEPER

• Explore Away’s magazine Here.