Graham Douglas and Spencer LaVallee, co-founders of Gus, didn’t set out to make holiday advertising. They set out to make something people would stop and look at—something tangible in a world drowning in AI-generated sameness.
The result? “Get Away With More,” a campaign for Away that features travelers racing toward an abandoned aircraft hangar, and a holiday feast unpacked entirely from luggage. No AI. No stock footage. Just real people, real props, and a whole lot of Jell-O molds.
For Gus, the Lower East Side creative strategy shop named Ad Age Small Agency of the Year 2024, the brief was simple: help Away stand out during the holidays. What they delivered was anything but.
The brief: make travel feel like more
Away came to Gus with a straightforward ask: create a holiday campaign that reinforced the brand’s positioning around travel as transformation. Not just getting from point A to point B, but the joy, connection, and possibility that travel unlocks.
“They wanted to tap into that universal sentiment of more,” Graham explains. “More joy, more connection, more time together. But also to have a little fun with it.”
The timing mattered. Away had recently launched their Softside luggage line—a major product expansion for a brand built on hardshell suitcases. The holiday campaign needed to work for both longtime Away fans and new customers discovering the brand through Softside.
The strategy: double down on real
In an era where every scroll reveals another AI-generated visual, Gus made a deliberate choice: go absurdly, unapologetically tangible.
“So much storytelling is AI-driven these days,” Spencer notes. “We wanted to double down on real, lived experiences and tangible creativity.”
That meant building an actual 8-foot suitcase—not rendering one. It meant casting real people who embodied Away’s aesthetic without trying too hard. And it meant creating a narrative that felt cinematic but grounded, festive but not saccharine.
The strategic insight was simple: people remember what they can feel. An 8-foot suitcase on a New York street? You remember that. A dinner party unpacked from luggage in an abandoned hangar? You remember that too.
The creative execution: from Soho to the hangar
The campaign launched with the giant suitcase appearing in Soho, built in collaboration with visual artist Gab Bois. The thing became a spectacle—people stopped, took photos, posted about it.
Then came the hero film: a group of travelers racing toward an abandoned aircraft hangar, throwing open their Away suitcases, and transforming the space into an elaborate holiday feast. Candlesticks. Linens. Glassware. A tiered cake. The Jell-O mold that wobbles just right.
Everything came out of the luggage. Everything felt possible.
“We wanted to show that when you’re confident in what you’re carrying, you can truly get away with more,” Graham says. “It’s not just about the bag. It’s about what the bag lets you do.”
The film was supported by out-of-home takeovers, digital spots, streaming placements, and paid social. But the heart of it—the 8-foot suitcase and the hangar feast—stayed offline, tangible, memorable.
Lessons learned: caring still matters
When asked what made the work succeed, Spencer doesn’t mention strategy or tactics. He talks about caring.
“We were passionate about the brand. We knew there’s an amazing story to be told, and we tried our darndest to bring something special we could all be proud of to life. Caring goes a long way in a world where it’s way easier not to.”
For Graham, the lesson was about trusting the weird idea—the 8-foot suitcase, the hangar, the Jell-O mold. “If it feels too easy or too expected, keep pushing,” he says. “The stuff that makes you nervous is usually the stuff worth making.”
The campaign worked because it didn’t feel like advertising. It felt like an invitation—to see travel differently, to pack boldly, to believe that luggage could unlock possibility instead of just holding your stuff.
How to sell in work that feels different
Selling unconventional ideas requires one thing above all else: showing, not telling.
“We didn’t just pitch the concept,” Spencer explains. “We showed them what it could look like. We made it tangible early.”
That meant mood boards, reference images, early mockups of the giant suitcase, and a clear narrative arc for the film. It meant demonstrating that “weird” didn’t mean “risky”—it meant memorable.
Graham adds: “Clients want to believe in the work as much as you do. But you have to give them something to believe in. Show them the vision. Make it real before you even shoot.”
For Gus, the work also benefited from Away’s trust. The brand had seen what Gus could do with their Softside launch earlier in the year—a campaign featuring actors, comedians, chefs, and skateboarders all waiting in an airport line. That trust made space for bolder ideas.
Other interesting information: Gus and the power of small
Four years into running Gus, Graham and Spencer have learned that being small isn’t a limitation—it’s a strategic advantage.
“We’re optimistic about the state of the industry, and especially about being an indie,” Graham says. “If the Omnicom-IPG merger isn’t a wake-up call for brands to look a little farther afield, I don’t know what is.”
The landscape has shifted. Holding companies are consolidating. Clients are questioning default settings. And indie agencies like Gus—scrappy, nimble, deeply invested in the work—are positioned to fill the gap.
“There’s never been a better time to try something new,” Spencer adds. “Brands are looking for partners who care. Who bring ideas that feel alive. That’s what we do.”
For Gus, the Away campaign wasn’t just about selling luggage. It was about proving that independent agencies can deliver work that’s cinematic, culturally relevant, and unapologetically human—even when the brief is holiday advertising for suitcases.
Caring still wins. Weird still works. And sometimes, the answer really is an 8-foot suitcase.
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