You may have seen the Airbnb TV Campaign doing the rounds recently as part of their first ever global campaign ‘Never a stranger’ and #Belonganywhere positioning.
Whatever your take on airbnb, one thing for sure is that they are changing the way us human beings think about where we might sleep on our travels, outside of the traditional options.
They’ve made the dream of a worldwide ‘home from home’ a reality.
Just eight years old, the online business that started with two graduates bunking down on blow up mattresses in a San Fransisco loft has now grown to offering more rooms than The Hilton and InterContinental Hotels Group combined.
To date airbnb has helped 35 million guests visit its listings globally and impressively has over a million listings in 193 countries worldwide.
They also have a community of more than 350,000 individual hosts around the world now that ensures traveller’s stays end up being more than just a bed.
All up it’s a remarkable achievement in a relatively small space of time.
And as one of the businesses that have kick started the ‘sharing economy’ including Uber and an array of other sites mostly in the U.S, they’ve forced traditional hotel groups to sit up and think about their own relevance in the accommodation market.
Tulum is known for its colours. Find the most colourful local spots here: #BelongAnywhere http://t.co/X2WaK41qWw pic.twitter.com/wVrmSrNpPH
— Airbnb Australia (@airbnb_au) June 6, 2015
The ads in this first campaign feature real hosts and listings in five locations across the globe – New York, Paris, Tulum, Tokyo and Rio with e very location from the flower shop, to the karaoke bar shown in the ads an Airbnb location.
All up it’s a warm, authentic and emotional affair that brings to life their positioning of ‘Belong anywhere’ beautifully and highlights the generosity of people that often awaits, wherever you may be travelling to in the world.
Of course opinion often is divided on airbnb, especially within the travel industry depending on who you talk with. There has been negative press too, with some rogue operators and scams that have blown up akin to rival the notorious Craig’s List in the U.S.A.
But no-one can deny airbnb’s innovation around successfully filling a void and a need that was always there. They just brought it all together through technology and made it happen.
We will watch on with curiosity.