Millennial, Gen-X Opps: Away Travel's new CMO discusses evolving strategy (Score 68)

Sales Lead: Away Travel's CMO, Carla Dunham, has revealed some details behind the strategy shifts she has led since her hire seven months ago.

• Since Dunham's appointment, Away has expanded the focus of its marketing efforts with an on-the-pulse strategy.
• Under her leadership, the company is advertising to new (but so far unspecified - we will inform you of any clarification) audiences.
• Away has leaned more heavily on TV strategies, tested AI-integrated marketing, and expanded its US brick-and-mortar footprint.
  • Even though "digital is so wonderfully optimized, customized, and efficient," per Dunham, Away's leadership really wants to differentiate the brand.
  • The AI-integrated initiative involved an experiential pop-up activation in Venice, CA.
    • It was part of Away's larger "Extraordinary Is Out There" campaign.
  • Per Dunham, right now, the company is focused on broadening its customer insights group and its US presence.
• The company will likely:
  • ​​​​​​​Continue shifting strategy
    • This will likely involve more TV and experiential initiatives
  • ​​​​​​​Keep increasing national TV spend
  • Return to higher digital spend
  • Continue pursuing expansion (more below)
  • Seek new agency partners
• Target demographic: 
  • ​​​​​​​Older millennials and Gen-X with a female skew

Additional leadership shift insights:

• CMO Dunham joined Away as its CMO in December 2022.
  • She was previously the chief marketing and merchandising officer at Foxtrot Market.
  • Dunham succeeded Melissa Weiss, who parted ways with Away in July 2022 after having been its CMO since November 2021.
• Later, in June 2023, Away appointed Amanda Brody as its brand VP.

Additional spending insights:

• Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: Since the beginning of 2023, Away has allocated roughly $1.3m toward national TV commercials, almost half of this, roughly $736.9k, within the same 2022 timeframe.
  • Last year: The company allocated around $2.2m toward this channel last year after having spent about a third of this, around $805.1k, in 2021.
  • 2023 ad programming: Away's 2023 commercials have targeted Gen-X watching shows such as NCIS, Bones, Law & Order, Storage Wars, and ER.
• Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
  • YTD spend: The company has spent approximately $2.7m on digital ads YTD, down slightly (7%) from the approximately $2.9m spent by this point last year.
  • YTD data: So far this year, Away has earned ~340.8m digital impressions via Facebook (52%), Instagram (27%), desktop video (8%), and YouTube (3%) ads.
  • Last year: The baggage company's estimated full-year 2022 spend decreased by 19% to $6.3m from that of $7.8m in 2021.
• Additional channel insights  
  • The company utilizes Google ads along with digital, national broadcast, Instagram, Facebook, and online video (primarily via Youtube.com, secondarily via Youtube Android) ads.
  • Away sponsors podcasts such as The Jordan Harbinger Show, The Viall Files, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, and Going West: True Crime.

Additional agency insights:

• Opportunity: Since agency reviews often follow CMO hires, reach out soon to get on Dunham's radar.
• Current agency roster:
  • ​​​​​​​No current agency relationships yet confirmed

Insight Sources: Broadcast insights estimated by iSpot; digital spend insights estimated by Pathmatics; additional channel insights estimated by Vivvix; podcast insights by Podchaser.