Accomodation site Airbnb is making a new play to build its audience beyond early adopters, with its first global ad campaign to hit Australia today.
Airbnb, as a true child of the internet age, has traditionally relied on social and word of mouth for building its consumer base. But recently, the company have eyed a bigger slice of the pie, with a bid to build its audience base beyond savvy early adopters.
As part of the push, 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, 'Welcome to Airbnb', and marks the first global ad campaign under the marketing arrangement. It is designed to “help a wider audience understand Airbnb”. The ad will be distributed globally in a push that includes its Australian business.
An Airbnb spokesperson told AdNews that: “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, with more than 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” and features a 85 sqm custom built set, made by hand over five weeks. 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 will be distributed primarily through digital but will include a strong push through social and cinema.
While Airbnb wouldn't be drawn on any local elements of the campaign, a spokesperson told AdNews that having one global branding push was important to its central message. TBWA Singapore is Airbnb's agency for the Asia Pacific region. New Zealand-based animation house Circkus worked with TBWA to bring the campaign to life.
“The whole idea behind the ad campaign is to portray the world as a smaller place. It includes places from Australia, and from other parts of the world,” an Airbnb spokesperson said.
While it is a first for Australia, it is not the first film created by Airbnb to boost it's wider branding. In May this year the company and agency Pereira & O'Dell released the campaign “Views” which was distributed throughout US, UK, Germany, France, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Brazil and China.
The company recently rebranded with a new logo called the Bélo which was widely criticised.
See the ad below:
Credits:
Cirkus
Co Directors – Christian Greet, Norman Yeend
Storyboarding - Dylan Coburn
Concept Art - Laura Dubuk
Producer – Ringmaster Marko Klijn
Production Manager - Zara Hayden
Production Assist – Puteri Raja Ariff
DOP - Christian Greet, Andrew McGeorge
Lighting - Christian Greet, Gracie Spence
Model Making and Design - Norman Yeend, Justin Buckingham @ Glasshammer, Dion Boothby, Barry Down, Tim
Wells, Philip Stokes, Ashley Turner, Henric Matthiesen, James Turnbull, Joon Yoon, Priyan Jayamaha, Kurt Adams,
Nynne Mors, Matt Ramsay, Simon Coles, Romain Borrel, Thomas Bozovic, Marion Angebault and Quinn Klijn.
The Making Of - Sandesh Codhadu
Agency and Production company: Sixtoes Singapore
Executive Producer - Haydn Evans
Agency: TBWA Singapore
CDs: Gary Steele & James (Jexy) Holman
ECD: Edmund Choe
AD: Nuno Pestana Teixeira
ACC Team: Nirmalo Wilkes, Joyce Wong, Neha Sethi
Client: Airbnb
Regional Marketing Director: Matthias Schueking
Music: Platinum & Rye / Oliver Daldry
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