Inside Airbnb’s Global Campaign That’s Aiming to Bring In More First-Time Guests
Airbnb may be a global mega brand but there are still plenty of travellers and holiday makers who haven’t taken the plunge with the accommodation platform that disrupted the tourism industry. That’s why their latest campaign goes back to basics, sharing product benefits that Airbnb guests say they love. With a soft, rounded and colourful animation style from the team over at BUCK, it’s a campaign with diversity and approachability at its core.
The campaign was devised and developed by the team at Airbnb’s in-house agency, and launched last week in the US and Canada. In early September it will start to roll out across Australia, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Brazil, Korea, Belgium, Netherlands, and Switzerland, on digital, OTT, online video and social platforms.
LBB> What's behind the decision to lean on animation? How does it allow you to show the benefits of Airbnb in a way that might have been trickier in live action?
We drew on the success of our ‘Airbnb it’ ad campaign where we used animation, a lightness of tone and playful visuals to show people that hosting on Airbnb is more approachable than they think. With ‘Get an Airbnb’ we saw a similar need and opportunity to educate people about the approachability of staying in Airbnbs – and already had a proven creative vehicle to communicate this message.
LBB> And from an art direction point of view what inspired the look and style of the characters and their world?
We wanted to ensure we were accurately reflecting the diversity of our global community of guests and hosts, as well as capturing our characters in a bright, bold way. All of the homes are inspired by real Airbnbs, and the cast will come to represent all of the countries we’ll be running in.
LBB> The campaign is inspired by conversations with guests and hosts - can you talk me through that process?
We’re constantly listening to our guest and Host community and gathering new research and insights. Through our most recent insights, we saw a huge opportunity to bring on more first-time guests and in getting to know this potential audience better, it helped inspire the new ads and the groups of travellers you see highlighted.
LBB> As a global campaign, how have you approached the campaign in a way that will resonate with numerous markets around the world?
With hundreds of thousands of unique listings around the world, Airbnb has accommodations for every type of traveler and for every occasion. Whether a first trip without the kids or an annual friend reunion, this new campaign highlights the diverse range of occasions where travelers turn to Airbnb for stays with more space and more amenities, at a better value – no matter where you are in the world.
LBB> How does this campaign fit into the broader marketing strategy for Airbnb at the moment?
Our core focus as a business is on creating unique products, features, and experiences that differentiate us as a brand. Through our brand marketing efforts, we then use the strength of our brand to communicate and educate people on those key differentiators. With potential first-time guests specifically, there’s an opportunity to educate them more on our core listings and the space, amenities, and privacy they can get— all at a better value.
LBB> As a data-led platform with a tight community, I'm sure Airbnb has a deep understanding of its users, but was there anything that came up that surprised you as you pored through these conversations?
These kinds of conversations are central to the way we develop our marketing, and we’re doing this sort of research on an ongoing basis. What’s most exciting is just how much opportunity there is for us—with millions of homes around the world, there’s something for everyone and every kind of trip. We just need to help people connect the dots, so they can see how and where we fit into their future travel plans.
