Case study
One of the UK’s leading camping and outdoor equipment brand, Vango, first appointed Karol in 2006 to lead on its PR and media strategy.
Nearly two decades later, this trusted partnership has evolved along with the brand’s needs and a changing media landscape.
Just in the last three years, Karol has proudly averaged over 2,000 opportunities to see or hear about the brand and secured exposure in over 40 titles annually, including The Telegraph, Financial Times, The Independent, Trail Magazine, National Geographic Traveler, and many more.
Additionally, Karol was asked to also take over social media with the goal of boosting online presence, growing followers, and building an engaged and vibrant digital community.
In a highly competitive industry such as the outdoor sector, audiences are exposed to more content than ever before – making it increasingly difficult for brands to stand out. Social feeds are saturated with brands competing for attention, influencers constantly showcasing a stream of new gear, and algorithms favouring the trend of the moment.
For Vango, this meant that while its follower numbers were strong, low engagement posed a risk to visibility, especially with upcoming changes to Facebook and Instagram algorithms. To stay relevant and continue reaching both media and consumers authentically, the focus had to shift from follower count to creating meaningful, engaging content that would cut through the noise and keep at the brand top of mind.
To achieve this, we devised a social media campaign that flipped the traditional brand – follower dynamic. Rather than expecting followers to celebrate Vango, the brand began celebrating its followers instead, creating an online community where customers felt valued and ‘loved’ by the brand;
To celebrate customers and generate excitement, we developed key messages that reflected Vango’s spirit of adventure and fostered authentic connections, including:
With our support, Vango streamlined its content planning across all social media platforms, enabling consistent weekly scheduling with a balanced focus across key product categories. We fostered a highly engaged community by actively responding to customers, amplifying user-generated content, and encouraging followers to share their own tips and camping hacks.
Engagement increased across all platforms, with Instagram interactions going up by over 130%, Facebook reach growing nearly 50%, and Twitter impressions surpassing 1 million. Campaigns like #CampingSavvyWednesday and #MondayPolls drove consistent interaction, while collaborations with relevant influencers and brands expanded Vango’s reach and generated standout content.
