Brand trips: To book or not to book?

Dubai. Finland. Vermont. These are just a few of the many near and far-flung destinations influencers have been invited for coveted brand trips.

Fueled in part by the rise of creators and influencer marketing, these in-person excursions have become a luxurious—and sometimes polarizing—way of bringing a brand to life (while also serving as a content engine in and of itself).

Though some businesses have been lauded for their thoughtful approach to brand trips, others have come under fire for their extravagance and lack of inclusion. One 2024 Rolling Stone headline even begged the question, “Has the era of brand trips run its course?”

In this article, we’ll unpack why we haven’t seen the end of brand trips yet, and ways to plan outings that win over your audience as much as your guests.

Why brand trips work

Brand trips build on the irrefutable success that many brands are already experiencing through influencer marketing. Almost half of all consumers (49%) make purchases at least once a month because of influencer posts, according to The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report. What’s more, 80% of consumers say they would be more willing to buy from brands that partner with influencers beyond social content.

Consider some of these brand trip benefits:

Awareness and reach

Marketers believe that getting your brand in front of new audiences is the most valuable opportunity influencer marketing offers, according to a Q3 2023 Sprout Pulse Survey. Brand trips have a multiplier effect, creating a chance for a group of influencers to post about your brand, products or services within a defined period of time. Intentionally timed trips can amplify your pillar campaigns and launches—as it did for intimates and apparel brand Knix.

In late April 2024, the brand hosted influencers, customers and other brand ambassadors in Cabo San Lucas for Club Knix, which coincided with the release of their largest swim collection to date.

Between April and May 2024, more than 150 social posts mentioning #ClubKnix were published across 25 profiles, garnering an earned media value of nearly $1 million, according to data from Sprout Social Influencer Marketing (formerly Tagger).

Longer-term influencer partnerships

Brand trips can also be an effective way to nurture your influencer relationships—whether they’re already partners or folks you’d like to collaborate closer with in the future. Trips and other on-site activations give influencers a chance to experience your business and products in a way that simply sending merch can’t.

As Emma Roberts, Social Media & Influencer Manager at skincare makeup brand Jane Iredale says, “The relationship building that you get through events is unlike anything you can get via email.”

Jane Iredale is a 30 year-old brand that historically sold products through dermatologists’ and skincare professionals’ offices. As they’ve expanded into digital, direct-to-consumer sales, influencers have played a key role.

“We knew that to entice influencers with larger followings, we needed to offer something a bit more juicy than gifting. One of the reasons that we decided to get into brand trips was because we felt like it was an opportunity for us to put ourselves in front of influencers in an immersive way.”

Some of Jane Iredale’s first brand trips were small getaways hosted in their Western Massachusetts hometown, giving influencers a chance to learn about the company’s namesake founder and history.

“We’ve been able to secure longer-term partnerships, and have even seen an increase in people opting in to work with us after seeing trip content posted by other influencers,” says Roberts.

Where brand trips break down

We’ve said it time and time again: Today’s consumers are savvier than ever. They can spot disingenuous, poorly planned brand activations in an instant.

Over the last few months, audiences have been swift to share their distaste for big budget brand trips, leaving marketing leaders wondering whether the investment is worth it at all.

There are multiple reasons why brand trip skepticism is on the rise:

Lavish trips exclude brands’ base

The global economy has been in flux for over a year. Between price inflation, high interest rates and job layoffs across industries, consumers are increasingly cost-conscious. This can make it all the more frustrating to see brands spend massive budgets hosting influencers at luxury hotels and resorts around the world.

Social media users have also been quick to comment on how, many times, trip invitations are extended to influencers who fit a certain mold—rather than curating a guest list that matches the diversity of brands’ real audiences.

Inauthentic and unattainable

In consumers’ eyes, the best brand-influencer collaborations are honest and unbiased, according to The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report.

Most social media users are well aware of the transactional dynamic between businesses and influencers. But we are more likely to trust content from an influencer who truly uses your product or service rather than from an influencer who just happens to have millions of followers.

Inviting a ton of mega-influencers to an all-expenses-paid trip is not always the most conducive setting for unfiltered, candid posts.

How to plan successful brand trips

Just as the deinfluencing trend didn’t topple influencer marketing as we know it, recent brand trip backlash doesn’t necessarily spell the end of these well-documented events.

As a marketing leader, however, it falls on you to ensure that your teams are taking a strategic approach to hosting, planning and promoting these trips. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Clarify your goals early on

As with any campaign or social strategy, flawless execution starts with defining clear objectives. Expecting a brand trip to drive immediate revenue will doom the project’s ROI before attendees even land at your destination. Reflect on your broader marketing and business goals—is there a product launch coming up that a trip could support? Is your brand trying to break into a new geographic market that could become the trip’s destination? Or could a brand trip double as a focus group, bringing close influencer partners into the process of creating your next product or service?

It’s also critical to play the long game. This was top of mind for Nicole Ponce, Influencer Marketing Lead at SaaS brand Semrush, when planning their July 2024 B2B brand trip in London. “When pitching these trips internally, you need to have a very clear, strategic understanding of your long-term goals. Our business has been focused on growing awareness of Semrush as not just a tool to enhance brand’s online visibility—but a platform that serves a variety of marketing needs, for businesses of any size, including search engine optimization, search engine marketing, content marketing, social media, competitive intelligence, local marketing and digital PR. For us, these activations are a step toward building that awareness over time.”

2. Be intentional about your guest list

The goals you set for your brand trip should set the context for who you invite. Develop criteria to help you curate a thoughtful list—rather than defaulting to follower count or average impressions.

For Semrush’s London trip, Ponce was intentional about inviting creators with their own niche communities and established expertise in different facets of content and marketing. “We worked hard to identify attendees with complementary skills. We weren’t inviting them just to have fun (although that’s a large part of it), but to have the right mix of folks who could learn from each other.”

Some brands are flipping the script entirely—extending invites to customers and loyal brand advocates instead. Christina Funke Tegbe, founder of African plant botanical skincare line 54 Thrones, announced that her tea would be hosting an #AntiBrandTripBrandTrip for real customers and ambassadors as a way to reward their community.

And as your brand evolves, your criteria might need to evolve with it. As Roberts explains, “Jane Iredale’s first brand trip was really about our brand advocates, deepening their connection with us and thanking them. For subsequent trips, that has changed a bit—inviting folks with larger audiences who may not be advocates yet, and could benefit from an immersive experience with us has become a focus.”

3. Make programming on-brand, not just over the top

The success of a brand trip doesn’t hinge on how many expensive activities or Michelin star meals are packed into the itinerary. Stay true to your values, and aim for a mix of branded programming (e.g., product tutorials, masterclass talks) and brand-agnostic events.

With your brand story and audience preferences at the heart of the planning process, these trips can become a much more accessible lever to pull for organizations across industries (not just consumer goods). “For B2B brands, think about what updates you’re launching. That could become a focal point of your brand trip, where everybody’s talking about how they’re using the new feature and the benefits it provides,” says Ponce.

During Semrush’s London trip, guests were treated to a professional photoshoot and content creation contest, along with pure relaxation (including a picnic—where attendees were able to invite their own community to join in on the festivities).

4. Don’t constrain influencers’ creativity

Influencers wield the power they have for a reason—they know what resonates with their audience. In the same way that influencers deserve creative license when it comes to specific content collaborations, marketers shouldn’t impose strict limitations on what or how influencers post about brand trips. Beyond communicating specific standards for the sake of brand safety, give your attendees freedom to publish in a way that makes sense for them.

When dairy brand Kerrygold hosted a brand trip to Ireland in September 2023, the lucky guests all took a unique approach to their social content.

Former chef turned food creator Hailee Catalano—known for both her recipes and “spend a day with me” videos—was one of the lucky attendees. She posted a Reels series, taking her followers behind the scenes of the packed trip with her signature happy, humble voiceover.

Another attendee, food podcaster and James Beard award-winner Abena Anim-Somuah, shared a well-timed photo dump of her favorite trip memories—six months after the trip, on St. Patrick’s Day.

Make brand trips about more than the destination

Despite a few botched brand trips, marketers shouldn’t write off these activations completely. Nor should you assume that intercontinental flights and opulent swag bags are prerequisites for hosting a successful one.

“The future of influencer marketing is about community building,” says Ponce. “Trips are a way to take care of your influencer partners (so that they’ll take care of you).”

Brand trips exist on a spectrum, not a rigid script. Regardless of your business size or industry, brand trips could be a powerful way to reward your communities and enhance your brand perception. By staying true to your company’s values and audience throughout the planning process, trips can create lasting memories and long-term meaning.

Looking for more insight into the future of influencer marketing? Download The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report.