YHA's 'Stay Youthful' social test drove a 9,333% jump in paid social revenue

YHA (England & Wales) wanted to redefine brand perception from a traditional 'hostel' operator to a modern, experience-led travel brand and reconnect with a new generation of guests.

Reframe the youth hostel as a modern, experience-led travel brand and let creators carry the story, with paid social catching the demand it stirs up.

Manchester brand-commerce agency IF. ran 'Stay Youthful, Stay YHA' as an eight-week test across Meta, primarily Instagram: creator-led content for credibility, organic storytelling for emotional connection, and a performance-driven paid social layer on top.

120,000+ organic users reached; engagement 126% above industry average (6.8% vs 3%); 43% more new site users YoY; 9.7% CTR on top paid campaigns, 400% above industry average; paid social revenue up 9,333% YoY; bookings +11% and overnights +15.5%.

YHA (England & Wales) worked with Manchester brand-commerce agency IF. on 'Stay Youthful, Stay YHA', a campaign meant to move the youth hostel charity's image from traditional budget beds to a modern, experience-led travel brand for a new generation of guests. It ran as an eight-week test across Meta, primarily Instagram.

The structure split the job in three: creator-led content brought real-world credibility, organic storytelling built emotional connection, and performance-driven paid social captured high-intent traffic. YHA senior marketing manager Sophie Beckley called it 'a real turning point', saying the campaign 'helped to start debunking some myths about staying with YHA'.

The measured results were unusually strong for perception work: 120,000+ organic users reached, engagement 6.8% against a 3% industry average, 43% more new users to the site year on year, a 9.7% CTR on top paid campaigns (400% above industry average), paid social revenue up 9,333% YoY, plus 11% more bookings and 15.5% more overnights.

Hostel stigma is a perception problem that a cheap social test can measure before anyone commits to a full rebrand.

Most perception campaigns report engagement only; this one ties creative directly to bookings, overnights and paid revenue.

A 400%-above-benchmark CTR suggests the creator-led format beat hospitality category norms, not just YHA's own baseline.

Heritage budget brands can run a rebrand as a measurable eight-week channel test: perception work tied to bookings and revenue numbers convinces both the brand and finance sides.

YHA said debunking myths about staying with YHA is something it is 'excited to keep building on'; IF. positioned the win as proof of its brand-led performance model and continues to partner with hospitality and leisure brands.