How to Go From Product-First to Culture-Led Marketing, with Samsonite's VP of Marketing

Why It Matters

The strategy shows how legacy brands can stay competitive by embedding cultural relevance into their DNA, turning heritage into a growth engine for younger consumers.

Key Takeaways

• Samsonite shifts from product specs to culture‑driven lifestyle marketing.
• Olivia Culpo leads social‑first campaign targeting young foodie‑travelers.
• Brand leverages heritage as foundation, not limitation, for innovation.
• Metrics combine engagement, brand closeness, and conversion to gauge success.
• Competitors like Away push Samsonite to modernize digital shelf and influencer strategy.

Summary

Samsonite’s VP of Marketing, David Oxman, explained the brand’s pivot from a product‑first approach to a culture‑led strategy, anchored by a new social‑first campaign starring Olivia Culpo. The initiative positions Samsonite as a lifestyle brand that celebrates travel, food, and aspirational experiences rather than merely showcasing durability and weight. The shift rests on treating the company’s 115‑year heritage as a foundation for innovation. By targeting the "iconic explorer" psychographic—young, foodie‑travelers who seek authentic cultural immersion—Samsonite moves upstream in the funnel, using TikTok, Instagram, and influencer partnerships to spark discovery before reinforcing product benefits on the digital shelf. Oxman highlighted that "social is discovery marketing now," and cited collaborations with Payton Pritchard, John Toro, the U.S. gymnastics team, and SNL’s Khloe Fineman as proof points. Success is measured through a blend of engagement, a brand‑closeness metric, and downstream conversion, linking emotional resonance to sales. For heritage brands, the campaign illustrates how cultural relevance can rejuvenate market share against direct‑to‑consumer rivals like Away. By marrying timeless product quality with contemporary storytelling, Samsonite aims to secure loyalty among Gen Z and millennial travelers while preserving its trusted reputation.

Original Description

For heritage brands trying to stay relevant with younger consumers, Samsonite's playbook offers a useful case study. On this episode, David Oksman, VP of marketing and direct to consumer at Samsonite, discusses how the 115-year-old luggage company is shifting away from product specs and leaning into more social media-first, culture-led marketing by targeting travelers by psychographic rather than demographic, and measuring emotional connection alongside traditional conversion metrics. He also talks about the brand's latest social-first campaign with Olivia Culpo and how Samsonite thinks about younger D2C challengers like Away and Béis. His advice for other marketers navigating the same tension: don't be a heritage brand — be a brand with heritage.