To coincide with the start of the summer season, the Austrian Tourist Board launched a campaign featuring well-known influencers from across Europe. However, they weren’t hired to create content, as is usually the case. As part of the #iamAUT initiative, they went on a “real” vacation without any social media obligations or content plans, handing over their accounts to “ordinary” Austrians, called AUTfluencers. The influencers set a good example for the initiative by putting their smartphones down while on vacation, aiming to inspire others to do the same.
German lifestyle influencer xLaeta started in June. She started in the Mozart city of Salzburg, spending her offline time on relaxing smartphone-free holidays. Meanwhile, her account was taken over by AUTfluencer Lieselotte, showing that food is at the heart of the Austrian lifestyle. Italian influencer Giulia Lamarca had already enjoyed an offline holiday in Schladming, while Polina Burashnikova from the Netherlands was in Seefeld in Tyrol and Jitka Novackova from the Czech Republic was enjoying a break from her duties as a social media personality at Lake Traunsee. Meanwhile, their accounts were managed by locals, offering their more than 4.1 million followers an authentic insight into everyday life and culture in Austria, giving influencers a real-time opportunity to discover the Austrian lifestyle.
Offline vacation in Austria
“Our aim was to draw attention to an important issue: social media pressure, which many people feel overwhelmed and badly need a respite from. At the same time, we wanted to present Austria’s diverse regions as the perfect hideaways for a moment of respite. Our AUTfluencers managed to do this in an incredibly authentic and humorous way,” says Sandra Stiehauner, CMO of the Austrian Tourist Board.
The number of successes on its own channels proves that the initiative is very popular: 25 million views, over 100 submissions and more than 2.3 million followers from 15 countries. Christian Hellinger, Creative Director at WIEN NORD Serviceplan, comments: “The #iamAUT initiative shows in a fresh way how cooperation with influencers in tourism can be rethought. How can you fully enjoy Austria’s Lebensgefühl if you have to process each unforgettable moment as content later? To really ease the social media burden during your stay, the initiative simply outsources the content generation – in a fun and authentic way that conveys the local charm in a way that traditional posts cannot. ”
How to apply for AUTfluencer services
Until the end of July, other influencers can apply for offline leave and join AUTfluencers on their behalf during the social media timeout. All information about the initiative and insights can be found here.
