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Product cover image for Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand

Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand

Avery, Jill; Fuller, Joseph B.

Product #:520051
Supplier:Harvard Business School
Discipline:Marketing
Setting:North America;United States, 2019
Details:Case (PDF) • 32 pages • 2019-11-11 (Rev: 2020-04-01)

Subjects:

Brand managementBrandingBusiness growthConsumer behaviorEntrepreneurshipGoing publicMarket segmentationMarketingMarketing strategyStart-upsVenture capitalSales and marketingCorporate strategyMarket researchEntrepreneurial financingInvestment managementSales and marketingMarketing

Industries:

Goods, trade, and consumer services

Geography:

North AmericaUnited States
Your Price:$11.64

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Away, a direct-to-consumer, digital native e-commerce seller of travel luggage, is debating how to invest its latest round of venture funding. How quickly could and should Away scale and what were the most promising growth trajectories to maximize its potential? Three decisions face the founders. Should Away continue to invest in driving growth in suitcases and other travel bags or was it time to begin to expand into other adjacent travel categories? How should they use the results of the company's first customer segmentation study to select target segments and quantify their growth aspirations? What were the right distribution strategies moving forward following a series of pilots that included company-owned stores, temporary airport kiosks, and pop-up experiences with retailer partners?

Learning Objectives

This case can be used in either a Marketing or an Entrepreneurship course and its placement will help determine upon which of the learning objectives instructors will focus. In a Marketing or Brand Management course, the case can be taught as part of a brand management module. In an Entrepreneurship course, the case can be taught as part of a scaling ventures module. Specific learning objectives include: Assessing the relative value of a brand tightly focused on a functional customer value proposition in a particular product category and a lifestyle brand that offers a broader, more emotional and ego-expressive value to consumers, Interpreting brand health research and customer segmentation research to form recommendations on which segments to target and how to size a market, Understanding the rewards and risks associated with line and brand extensions based on existing and potential brand equity, Analyzing the potential opportunities and drawbacks of various types of distribution strategies, including direct-to-consumer e-commerce, branded physical retail, retail pop-ups, and wholesale distribution for building a brand, and Analyzing the use of brand marketing and performance (growth) marketing strategies and owned, earned, and paid media for brand building. Understanding the challenges facing startups as they scale, Understanding the opportunities and trade-offs associated with fast growth versus measured growth and how to assess the value of brand equity in a venture funded startup.
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Case Study: Away: Scaling a DTC Travel Brand (English version) | Ivey Publishing