BYRDLI & San Francisco Travel launch real-time travel campaign

BYRDLI has partnered with San Francisco Travel to launch a creator-driven tourism campaign called "San Francisco, Unscripted."

The campaign moves away from conventional influencer marketing and paid promotional posts, instead putting storytelling and direct booking at the centre of its approach. Two Australian creators, Lola Hubner and Matt Lambley, have been given complete creative control to capture and share their real-time experiences of San Francisco. Their curated journeys are available to book through BYRDLI Travel Clubs, providing travellers with an immediate way to follow in their footsteps.

Unlike traditional campaigns, "San Francisco, Unscripted" does not rely on scripts, brand briefs, or affiliate links. The creators own the content, selecting what to document and how to present it, while their audiences can book the same hotels, experiences, and itineraries directly from the creators' storefronts.

Distinct perspectives

Lola Hubner's content features a design-forward and outdoorsy approach, focusing on boutique hotels and slower-paced itineraries tied to natural beauty. At the same time, Matt Lambley's coverage highlights high-impact visuals, city nightlife, luxury hotels, and adventurous experiences. Their approaches differ by design and are intended to appeal to distinct segments of the travel market.

Radu Barbuceanu, Director, Global Tourism Development at the San Francisco Travel Association, commented on the strategy.

"San Francisco has always been a place of creativity, expression, and the cutting edge and this campaign captures all of that. By partnering with BYRDLI and giving creators full control over the story they tell, we're inviting the world to see a side of San Francisco that's real, layered, and deeply personal."

Real-time experiences

The campaign's structure enables travel content to be produced and shared in real-time on Instagram, with longer edits posted after the travel period. The content encompasses a variety of experiences, including the Portola Music Festival, scenic flights over the San Francisco Bay, local food trails that focus on taquerias and cafés, bike rides across the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as sunset cruises, streetcars, and rooftop cocktails.

A shift in travel commerce

Both creators are running their own BYRDLI Travel Clubs, which serve as digital storefronts where they can sell curated hotel stays, trips, and experiences, generating income from bookings they facilitate. This approach offers an alternative to ads and affiliate marketing by directly connecting creator inspiration with consumer booking.

According to Vanessa Richards, Co-Founder of BYRDLI, the campaign offers a more genuine perspective on San Francisco travel options.

"San Francisco is one of the most iconic cities on the planet, but it's the unexpected that gets me every time I visit. And you rarely see that in traditional travel campaigns. The energy, the edges, all of them. The moments that catch you off guard and completely wow you. That's what we set out to capture," said Vanessa Richards.

"This campaign isn't polished for the sake of it, even though both Matt and Lola have seriously slick styles. It's not pre-packaged. It's real. Seen, felt, and lived by them, then made bookable in real time for their communities to experience."

"It's what we all want from travel: to do the things the people out there are actually doing. San Francisco is full of incredible things to see and do, but you need to know where to go. That's what makes BYRDLI so unique. The inspiration and the booking happen in the same place, from the same people who sparked the dream in the first place."

Industry engagement

In November, BYRDLI will host an invite-only event in Sydney for creators and industry professionals, featuring aspects of San Francisco explored in the campaign.

BYRDLI's platform allows content creators and independent travel advisors to build and monetise their own Travel Clubs, turning social content into direct bookings for hotels, tours, and packages. This approach is being adopted by tourism organisations globally, including San Francisco Travel, as part of a growing movement toward more personalised and immediate travel inspiration and fulfilment.