Airbnb continues to build its audience to a higher level, as its first global ad campaign is hitting Australia today.
It’s not a big secret that Airbnb has relied on social media and word of mouth to build its consumer base. Recently, the company have aimed a bigger target: Australians.
As part of the campaign, the company hired Coca-Cola’s head marketer, Jonathon Mildenhall as its new CMO and hired a new global lead creative agency TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles. The campaign is based around a short film entitled ‘Welcome to Airbnb’. Basically, it marks the first global ad campaign under the marketing arrangement. It is designed to help a wider audience understand Airbnb.
“Australia remains an enormously important part of the Airbnb global business. In the last 12 months alone, there has been a 135% increase in the number of Aussies listing their homes with Airbnb, to nearly 20,000 listings and an increase of about 200% the number of inbound guests using Airbnb for their visit.”
The campaign is based on the premise of Airbnb being both “real and unique”. The film was shot in one take without any computer generated imagery. It also showcases six miniature figures of real Airbnb guests.
“As you board the train in this film, you’re transported into a magical world that represents the very heart of Airbnb,” Mildenhall said. “As you wind your way through some of the amazing listing Airbnb has to offer, you get a different perspective on the world. With each viewing, you see something unique and interesting tat you didn’t notice before, mirroring the experience that many people have when they travel with Airbnb. The campaign itself will be distributed primarily through digital but will include a strong push through social and cinema.
While it is a first for Australia, it is not the first film created by Airbnb to boost it’s wider branding. In May, the company and agency Pereira & O’Dell launched the campaign “Views” which was distributed throughout US, UK, Germany, France, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Brazil and China.
Here is the “Welcome to Airbnb” promotional video: