YHA (England & Wales) has seen incredible results from its latest campaign with Manchester-based brand commerce agency IF., reigniting its sense of adventure and connecting with a new generation of guests.
‘Stay Youthful, Stay YHA’ set out to redefine brand perception—from a traditional “hostel” operator to a modern, experience-led travel brand. Run as a eight-week test across Meta (primarily Instagram), the campaign blended bold creative storytelling, authentic creator partnerships, and a performance-driven social strategy to drive both emotional engagement and measurable commercial growth.
Results at a glance:
• 120,000+ users reached organically
• 126% higher engagement than industry average (6.8% vs 3%)
• 43% increase in new users to site YoY
• 9.7% CTR on top-performing paid campaigns—400% above industry average
• 9,333% YoY increase in paid social revenue
• 11% increase in bookings and 15.5% increase in overnights
Creator-led content brought real-world credibility and relatability, while organic storytelling built emotional connection and paid social drove high-intent traffic and exceptional ROI—proving the power of brand-led performance.
Sophie Beckley, Senior Marketing Manager at YHA, said:
“The Stay Youthful campaign marked a real turning point for us. We wanted to remind audiences what makes YHA special—not just where you stay, but the experiences you have. IF. helped us bring that to life through powerful creative and smart social activation that delivered beyond our expectations. The campaign also helped to start debunking some myths about staying with YHA, something we’re excited to keep building on in the future.”
Laura Selby, Managing Partner at IF., added:
“This campaign shows what happens when brand and commerce truly work together. We’ve helped YHA reconnect with its purpose while achieving measurable growth—reigniting a sense of adventure for audiences old and new.”
The Stay Youthful campaign cements IF.’s reputation for delivering brand-led performance for experience-driven clients. The agency continues to partner with leading hospitality and leisure brands to drive commercial results through brand strategy, social activation, and creative storytelling.
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Editor’s Notes: IF. is a Manchester-based brand commerce agency that leverages brand into commercial growth. With a 20-year legacy, IF. has partnered with clients including YHA, Marston’s, Freshpet, and Faith in Nature — to build, activate and amplify brand that drive results.
