Instead of sending elite influencers on another lavish trip, Urban Outfitters is bringing 100 community members on vacation. Having a humble social following is non-negotiable.

As part of its “Add a Story” campaign, the brand is bringing creators with fewer than 10,000 followers on a brand trip to Joshua Tree, featuring giveaways and surprise performances.

After applying and being accepted to the Me@UO community program, hopeful Joshua Tree huggers can post based on weekly content prompts from the brand. Attendees with the most compelling content will secure their spot.

The campaign invites Urban Outfitters’ “most engaged customers into a space that was traditionally reserved for high-profile creators,” said head of brand marketing Cyntia Leo.

“We’ve long seen the era of the follower dying,” she said. “We’re focused on resonance, not scale.”

Urban’s tailored talent approach

Pop star Zara Larsson is the celebrity ambassador of “Add a Story,” a broader campaign that encourages user-generated content across the brand’s consumer base.

“While Zara Larsson sets the tone, we’re moving from campaigns you watch to campaigns you join by creating a framework that puts our customer at the center,” said Leo.

In addition to Larsson, the brand also tapped established creators like Erica Ha and Sienna Betts to participate, who are featured on product pages within the brand’s website. While ineligible for the trip due to their follower counts, these macro creators have the right scale to encourage fans to participate.

Instead of a replacement to traditional creator spend, Urban Outfitters views community building as an additive element, said Leo.

“We’re not replacing, but rather expanding what community looks like and how we show up for our customers,” she said. “Ultimately, this community includes our entire partner ecosystem and is additive and complementary to what we’ve been building towards.”

Brands recognize that smaller, engaged creators can offer a closer proximity to the brand and sway purchases more than established names. American Eagle has expanded its creator program, encouraging consumers to post in exchange for products.

The community initiative also serves as a social content engine for Urban Outfitters. Participating in the program and using the campaign hashtags grants Urban Outfitters the right to use the content for social, website, and email marketing materials with credit to the creator.

Making brand trips work harder

Only 24% say events or influencer trips most effectively drive creator marketing ROI, according to a July 2025 CreatorIQ survey. To encourage content creation that is less aspirational and more relatable, brands can swap classic influencer trips for community initiatives.

Urban Outfitters has steadily invested in community events, including a back-to-campus event with Katseye in May and campus tours with Yung Gravy and Rebecca Black.

• The top motivator for US adults to join a loyalty program is participation in community events, according to an October Deloitte survey.

Community relations has been a focus for Urban Outfitters across its portfolio, and it seems to have been paying off. The parent company’s clothing rental service Nuuly, which has leaned heavily on peer-to-peer engagement on social, now accounts for around 10% of Urban Outfitters’ overall revenue.

“The trip is not just for creating content, but a way to celebrate and say thank you to our most engaged community members,” said Leo.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.