2. To capture the attention of backpackers seeking a more authentic traveling experience
Creative Brief
Why are we communicating? To capture the attention of backpackers seeking a more
authentic traveling experience
Who are we talking to? Young adults, with a wanderlust and global curiosity.These individ-
uals are typically college students or young working professionals between the ages of 18 and 30.
They feel the need to travel and explore while they are young and do not have the constraints
of age, a family, a job or simply time.Airbnb wants to speak to those for whom traveling is not
about the tangibles- the key chains and souvenirs brought back as proof of an experience- but
to those who relish the memories and stories as the keepsakes of a meaningful journey.They are
comfortable with the uncertainty and unfamiliarity of new places.These individuals are self-reliant,
resourceful, outgoing, and open-minded.
What’s the problem and opportunity? One problem is that airbnb is relatively new and
still gaining notoriety. However, the main issue is that when people do know about it, airbnb is not
necessarily their immediate choice because of uncertainty regarding the consistency of the service.
The opportunity is to change the negative connotation of uncertainty, to a more positively con-
noted word, like variety.Through our campaign we present the company as an outlet of exciting
options for staying place all across the globe.
What should our communication do? Our communication should illustrate options even
in the most remote of places
What is the strategic idea? Airbnb enables travellers to have an authentic and irreplaceable
experience in the country they’re visiting.
How will we support this idea? Airbnb is an amalgamation of the variety in abodes, hosts,
and local surroundings that will never be identically experienced.
Abodes: a spare room, an entire cottage, a boathouse, a yurt, a small city apartment etc.
Hosts: young working professionals, retired couples, whole families, students etc.
What are the mandatories? Show an abode that you would want to stay in (aka turn the
graphic image into a real photograph of your own)
What are the creative considerations? An image of where someone can be, can inspire
them to go there, and the simplicity of that image can convey the simplicity of making that journey
What are the deliverables? Three print posters for walls and video pieces.
6. The three print ads are meant to inspire
people in moments when they are stuck
somewhere seemingly uninspiring like at a
laundromat waiting for the washing cycle
to end,DMVs across the country,sitting at
an airport terminal waiting for your plane
to land, inside a bus stop waiting for pub-
lic transportation, or even on the back of
bathroom stalls where people wait for...
Well you know. During the holiday season
when people flock to the post office we
would also put up our posters there.
Placement of Print Ads
7. Our wild-card video shows the exhilara-
tion of traveling, and through the chaos of
a train platform the footage builds to the
initial interaction with the travellers’ airb-
nb host. However, the ultimate revelation
is the vision of the Italian mountains that
they are granted because of their remote
accommodations through airbnb.
Wildcard
Our video will play on airplane seatbacks
of the Ryanair and easyJet planes.These
two companies offer extremely cheap, no
frills flights across Europe, which cater
to younger travellers on a budget.The
footage will also be available on airbnb’s
youtube.com channel, where travellers
of the airbnb community can share their
experiences in brief videos that inspire
others to make similar journeys.
8. Trend BoardOur trend board was constructed at the beginning of
the creative process and is very indicative of our initial
positioning of airbnb in: as a part of the backpacking
experience.Though we no longer are taking the brand
in that direction, the free spiritedness of the imag-
es is something we still referred to for inspiration.
11. BrainStorming
Negatives:
-Security/Safety
-Inconsistent service
-Sometimes difficult to reach host/house
-Image of taking business from hotels
-Fraud
Tag lines:
-Welcome Home
-Live like a local
-Welcome mat
-Travel like a local
-Travel Free. Live locally.
-Where will you wake up?
-Man’s house is your castle
-Their home.Your community
Positives:
-Unique Space
-Affordibility
-Meet locals/other travelers
-Get away from typical tourist style
-Part of a community
-Collect stories
-Comfort
Research:94% of people surveyed said their reason
to use airbnb was because they wanted to “live like a
local.”Airbnb is an internationally used social networking
service with over 800,000 listings in 192 countries. It has
eight international offices in addition to its headquarters
in San Fransisco.According to the World Economic Fo-
rum, the company only has 600 employees.Their valua-
tion is $10 billion.
Trigger words:
-Travel
-Adventure
-Wanderlust
-Home
-Community
-Stories
-Memories
-Culture
-Warmth
-Curiosity
-Humans
-Discovery
Primary research:
Experience. Both Brendan Davis and Hannah Sellers have
travelled extensively using airbnb. They have experienced the
company as part of groups, partnerships, and as solo travel-
lers. They have stayed in apartments, spare beds, sheds, cot-
tages, and various other options.
Conversation. Backpacking leads to interactions with other
backpackers who shared with us their personal experiences
with the airbnb service. For example, one friend stayed at a
French family’s apartment in Paris. Another couple we met
stayed in a castle outside of Florence, Italy. All were equally
enthused about sharing their experiences with the service.
