A scroll through the #vanlife hashtag on Instagram is full of images of lovingly restored Volkswagens, campsites, and golden hour yoga. These posts, dedicated to time spent in vintage vans, represent a kind of crowd-sourced lifestyle brand that promises a simpler existence.With more than 2 million posts tagged on Instagram, #vanlife’s growing popularity has attracted the attention of a fair number of journalists and social media marketers. As ad the ad market has fractured, dollars have flowed into influencer marketing, in which social media micro-celebrities advertise directly to their followers on behalf of brands. And now some #vanlifers are getting in on the action.We drove up to Vermont’s Green Mountains to meet with the couple behind one up-and-coming #vanlife account to see what it takes to turn an off-the-grid life into an online brand.This series is supported by GEICO.
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