Since launching in 2016, Away has been committed to revolutionizing the travel industry—offering high-quality products at an unprecedented value while also building a brand that fosters community and engages in timely cultural moments. Away’s quickly-timed parody of Calvin Klein’s Jeremy Allen White campaign is a masterclass in aligning the brand with one of the year’s most talked-about ad campaigns, blending humor, cultural commentary, and product spotlighting.
Away mimicked Calvin Klein’s signature minimalist black-and-white photography. Instead of Jeremy Allen White, they used their iconic ribbed suitcase clad in oversized CK briefs, turning the product into a playful protagonist. The campaign had two goals: to boost brand visibility by tapping into the viral buzz of Calvin Klein’s campaign and to highlight the distinctive ribbed design of Away’s suitcases. By engaging in this cultural conversation, Away positioned themselves as a pop-culture-savvy brand, resonating with millennial and Gen Z audiences.
This lighthearted campaign humanized Away’s brand while playfully showcasing their product’s unique features—the ribbed exterior as “washboard abs.” It successfully sparked shares and conversations, leveraging humor and cultural relevance to amplify the brand’s reach and impact amongst the crowded travel market.
To bring their playful parody of Calvin Klein’s Jeremy Allen White campaign to life, Away seamlessly combined creativity, cultural awareness, and strategic execution. Known for its stylish, functional luggage and witty social commentary, Away saw an opportunity to capitalize on the viral buzz surrounding Calvin Klein’s ad featuring Jeremy Allen White. By inserting itself into this larger cultural conversation, Away sought to reinforce its own brand identity while capturing the attention of new consumers through humor.
With a narrow window from ideation to execution in order for the content to stay relevant, the team turned the project around in under 24 hours. From the initial “what-if” brainstorm during a Friday morning creative meeting to a decisive Slack message, the concept rapidly transformed into reality. The logistics were fast-paced, from securing appropriately sized Calvin Klein underwear for the suitcase (which involved overnighting XXL boxers) to beating the forecasted snow set to hit New York City.
The Away social team meticulously recreated the original campaign's iconic visuals, and carefully selected the backdrop to mirror the urban sophistication of Calvin Klein’s ads. Timing was key, with the Instagram post strategically released at the peak of Calvin Klein’s campaign dominance on social media.
One of the major challenges was balancing parody with respect for the original campaign. The Away team focused on a clever, lighthearted approach, ensuring their visuals celebrated the moment without diminishing the original campaign. This required careful attention to tone and collaboration between marketing and social teams to achieve a professional and polished result. Another challenge was the need to capitalize on the timely moment. Away acted quickly to produce and release the content while the original campaign was still dominating the news cycle. This required agile decision-making and execution to maintain relevance and capitalize on the cultural momentum.
What set this campaign apart was Away’s ability to integrate its signature product—the suitcase—into a widely recognized cultural moment in an unexpected yet clever way. The suitcase’s ribbed design was playfully substituted for Jeremy Allen White’s abs, reinforcing the brand’s unique brand personality, blending wit and relevance while subtly highlighting the effortless beauty of their suitcases’ design. The creative execution allowed Away to showcase its product in a fresh, memorable way that prioritizes authentic, entertaining content over overt selling.
By aligning themselves with pop culture and engaging their audience with humor, Away not only deepened relationships with existing customers but also attracted the attention of new ones, further positioning themselves as more than just a luggage brand and once again remaining at the forefront of travel and industry trends.
Away’s parody of Calvin Klein’s Jeremy Allen White campaign successfully met the team’s objectives by amplifying brand visibility, showcasing a hero product, and engaging audiences through humor. By tapping into the cultural moment surrounding Jeremy Allen White’s viral ads, Away cleverly positioned itself within the broader pop culture conversation, ensuring their content resonated beyond their typical audience.
Results included an increased social media engagement rate of 5.41% (700% above benchmark), including 13,932 shares, 712 saves, 490 comments, and 19,375 likes to-date, as audiences appreciated the humor and cleverness of the spoof. The campaign’s virality also introduced new customers to the Away community. Notably, 60.2% of those who engaged with the content were non-followers, and over 6,000 individuals visited Away’s profile or clicked the link in the bio after viewing the spoof.
The campaign garnered widespread industry recognition, receiving coverage from media outlets like AdAge, MediaPost, and Campaign US. It also earned mentions on LinkedIn from marketing thought leaders such as Edelman, VaynerX, and Adweek, as well as agencies and marketing publications like NoGood, Campaign Inspiration. Anecdotally, the spoof gained traction in marketing circles, appearing in the "inspiration" channel for brands like Apple, on Rachel Karten's Link In Bio Discord channel, and Away even received a personal shoutout (via Instagram DM) from the marketing team at Calvin Klein.
This effort exemplifies how clever, well-timed social content can yield substantial results with minimal investment, positioning Away as an agile and creative leader in the marketing space.