Contents 3. About Airbnb 4 - 5. A World of Belonging 6 - 7. Strengths and Weaknesses 8 - 9. Interviews 10 - 11. Airbnb app 12 - 13. Airbnb Wall and Chain 14 - 15. Airbnb Hollywood and Vines 18 - 19. My Personal Experience using Airbnb 20 - 21. The Big Idea 22 - 23. Campaign Mock-ups 24 - 27. Consumer Profile 28. Storyboard 29. Bibliography and Reference 30. Illustrations 31. Research Methodology 32 - 24. Appendix
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Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodation around the world — online or from a mobile phone. Whether a flat for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetise their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions. Airbnb is used by ages 18 and onwards. They target travellers across the world that are looking for a different experience and can’t financially afford hotels or just want to save money. The prices of the places ranges from up to £30 up to £500+ depending on what the guest can afford. It is the cheapest most affordable way to stay in your favourite city, being only minutes away to wherever you want to visit.
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A World of Belonging
“Part of the challenge of building this experience was thinking through how we can marry the scale of Airbnb experiences happening around the globe with the nature of these experiences. The connections people are making are deeply human and personal. So we decided to take a somewhat whimsical and playful approach with the map, bringing life through figures and geographic elements that represent the diversity of the planet.” -Andrew Schapiro, Head of Art Department We’ve designed a new, interactive map that showcases Airbnb activity around the globe, with real-time action illustrated in motion from our #OneLessStranger movement, global hotspots, guest check-ins, and recent milestones including a most recent one this New Year’s Eve. (On December 31, 2014, we diminished the number of strangers in the world with nearly 550K travellers using Airbnb to stay in over 190 countries. Our biggest night yet!)
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Strengths
“11 million guests have stayed on the platform ever since the launch in 2007.”
“The company have raised $300 million in funding, but is predicted to raise over $400 million”
The company said that 50% of its guests are from Europe, and that number is only expected overtime.
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Weaknesses
“For the exposure that Airbnb provides, it charges hosts who make a listing 3% of the listing price, then collects an additional 6 to 12% from the guests who agree to stay there.”
There can be frauds that would charge you but not accommodate you; it is easy for that to happen because it is used online and not in person.
In many cities, Airbnb is flat out legal. You can actually be evicted during your stay – it's happened – your host could find themselves on street, right along with you (this also happened).
iland the has
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John Surico
Airbnb host Astoria, Queens, NYC
What are your thoughts about Airbnb? Response: I think one of the features that brought me to Airbnb — and, more importantly, has me still routinely using the site — is that sense of belonging. Letting guests from all walks of life enter your home, and immediately go from stranger to friend within seconds, is an age-old tradition, but it's one that has been lost for some time, as people are more concerned with the safety and security of their things in the modern era. In a way, your Airbnb experience and that sense of belonging become parts of your trip; I would say, through the Airbnbs I've stayed at in Iceland, Quebec, and elsewhere, that I probably mention those stays within the first few sentences of describing my trip to friends. It's rarer to do that with hotels; you don't feel as connected, or, to extrapolate, as attached to them. And, both as a host and a guest, you almost immediately feel more worldly, more culturally heightened, the minute that exchange starts. You learn from each other's manners, both consciously and unconsciously, simply because you have to; at a hotel, of course, this isn't the case: you take your key and head upstairs. What Airbnb does so well is help us tap into a global network that goes far beyond our doorsteps, to other states and countries; one that seems to be here to stay, as the rest of our world becomes more and more interconnected. I mean, just the fact that we're still talking, from New York to England, is enough testament to this. Airbnb connects, and that is where the belonging begins.
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Joshua Smethurst
Airbnb user Nantwich, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Have you ever used airbnb? Yes, I used it for the first time when I went to New York and Washington DC and it’s very cheap I would say personally.
Would you ever use it again? Yes, all the hosts I stayed with have made us feel very at home, and were very helpful with us when we were asking about directions to places we wanted to visit. We also got to choose where we wanted to stay, and compromise on whether we want to spend a lot of money on a room that is really close to the city, or spend less and get the subway for however many days we want to stay in that place. But most of the time the places How was your experience? I stayed in New York for 3 weeks and 3 days of that was in Washington DC, out of all the houses we’ve stayed in I would say John’s house from Astoria Queens was the best. Not because the house was like a 5 star hotel, but because the people were so helpful, kind and fun to be with. We became friends with them throughout our stay, and we were still in contact with them whilst travelling around New York and Washington dc. Are you still in contact with the hosts you’ve stayed with? Yes, I am still friends with one of the hosts we stayed with and we’re planning on staying at his place next time we go to New York. There was one host in Washington DC that was very rude and gave us a bad review at the end of our stay, and asked if we could pay $200 for a bed sheet that apparently got pizza sauce on it, which never happened. But you will get weird people on Airbnb, you just have to be really smart with how you communicate and how you pay online because it is very tricky, and you don’t want to get a fraud or live with a weird person. Other than that I think Airbnb is a great service to use, you also met new people along the way.
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Airbnb Wall and Chain
"We're a platform and not a hotel company, so our hosts are essentially our innkeepers. We thought it would be really interesting and authentic to have a commercial that has the hosts inviting travellers from around the world to stay with them." – Airbnb launches first global ad campaign in nine markets
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This campaign is about bringing back old memories, and the theme of “belonging� which is what Airbnb is trying to put across to their new audience.
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Airbnb Hollywood and Vines
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“Airbnb is a pioneer of social innovation and built on the belief that great stories come from connection and collaboration. It was only natural that we came up with an idea based on those principles.” “The result was “Hollywood & Vines,” a first-of-its-kind short film directed via Twitter and shot entirely on Vine. Working with award-winning screenwriter Ben York Jones, we created our storyline – the transformative journey of a simple piece of paper.” Once the script was set, the director began tweeting out Vine directions to the world. He then opened a Twitter dialogue with the most prolific Viners, helping to create the perfect shots. Submissions came in from all over the world, including San Francisco, Hong Kong and Kuwait. After a week of editing, we ended up using over 100 submissions. In the end, our community shared in the creation of a film that embodies the Airbnb mission: a story of travel, adventure, and finding your place in the world.
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“Hospitality startup Airbnb has seen more than 11 million guests stay on the platform since being launched in 2007, which has led to some enthusiasm among investors. “ - Amidst report on new funding, Airbnb growth accelerates in Europe
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Airbnb is one of the best apps to use if you like to travel and explore the world, visit different countries, meet new people and make friends. There are varieties of campaigns that Airbnb have created, and most of them have a similar theme of ‘belonging’. Within my research I have found out that Airbnb promotes a friendly, polite atmosphere that gives out a sense of belonging, and this is what attracts audiences. All ages can use Airbnb; it depends on the hosts that will accommodate the guests and their preferences. It is a perfect way to meet new people, and at the same time get the best price for a place to stay wherever you travel to.
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My personal experience using Airbnb Last summer my boyfriend and me decided to travel around New York and Washington DC. We struggled to find cheap hotels and hostels, and the best hotels were very expensive considering the location and how near they are to the city. I then searched and searched until I found Airbnb. This opened up so many options for us and gave us so many places to choose from, different locations we wanted to stay in depending on what we wanted to visit. The places we stayed in were Astoria Queens, Soho, The Bronx and Brooklyn and Washington DC.
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The place you stay in is not what makes it homely, of course the house has to be sufficient for everyone’s needs but the people who lives with you or the host makes it a better experience. Before we got to Astoria Queens I have already spoken to John via the Airbnb app. We exchanged numbers, added each other on Facebook and spoke for a bit to get to know each other, and he assured us that he was going to be there waiting for us and to meet us and take us to his place. When we got there he greeted us and welcomed us to his home, and staying at that place for 3 days has been lovely. We went out with his flatmate Ryan who was 22 years old which wasn’t that far off from me and my boyfriend’s age; we got along really well and helped us out a lot.
The whole experience we had using airbnb has both been exciting and stressful; looking for places to stay making sure that it was safe and sufficient to stay in was hard work. But we have met a few great people along the way, and have met some very strict people too, all sorts of personality. It was a very interesting and fun experience and I would recommend it if money is an issue. John and I are still friends and we still talk, even if he lives in New York. Airbnb does give out the sense of belonging because from my experience we felt at home wherever we stayed.
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The Big Idea
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The Big Reunion Throughout my research I have looked at different campaigns that Airbnb had produced, they all have the themes of belonging and travelling around the world. I have come to the conclusion that a big reunion would be a good idea to turn into a campaign. The concept of this is for Airbnb users to see everyone they’ve met and all the people they are now friends with through airbnb. Airbnb will host an all day and night event. This will then be advertised on the website for the airbnb users to check out, they can then invite everyone they have met through airbnb and a plus one who have never used airbnb before. This does not only bring everyone together, but it also invites new guests to look at the website and learn more about it. The event will be held in different locations depending on the country you are in or have been to when airbnb was used. There will be a guest list on every location, giving group of people a chance to meet again and at the same time meet other airbnb users. The campaign is not only a way of introducing new people to airbnb, but it also reunites friends together. This is the best way to promote airbnb and widen its audience, also giving the feeling of ‘belonging’. The campaign will include a storyboard, posters and mock-ups of what the website would look like promoting the event. The sense of belonging is something that is hard to portray to the audience and have to be proven to gain the audiences trust. To prove that Airbnb shows this sense of belonging I feel that my idea would be a good example to reunite everyone that have used the service, and have met some great people along the way of their travels.
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John Surico
Age: 23 years old Studying Journalism at New York University Occupation: Contributor at VICE, Interviews Editor at Bklynr, Editorial Director at Potluck Magazine. Social Class: Middle Class Hobbies: likes to read newspapers, watch television and travelling Music: The Beatles Income: $28,000 Likes to wear shorts Enjoys spending time with his girlfriend Family Orientated Likes to go out with his flatmate Ryan Watches basketball games Social Network: Facebook and Twitter
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Esme Lampard
Age: 20 years old Studying Fashion Marketing and Branding at Nottingham Trent University Occupation: Sales Assistant at Urban Outfitters Social Class: Middle Class Hobbies: watching television, hanging out with friends, visiting festivals Music: RnB Income: Student, ÂŁ3600 per annum Likes to wear long sleeves Likes to purchase trainers Enjoys visiting the museum Enjoys spending time with friends and going out Likes to wear hats Family orientated
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Joshua Smethurst
Age: 19 Studying Product Design at Nottingham Trent University Occupation: Student Social Class: Middle Class Hobbies: playing games Music: Drum and Bass, House music Income: Student loan Likes to play games with his friends in his spare time Likes cars Enjoys hanging out with friends Enjoys going out and loves his course at university
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Henry Cole
Age: 20 Studying Business at Nottingham Trent University Occupation: Fundraiser Social Class: Middle Class Hobbies: Watching films Music: Rap, RnB Income: ÂŁ3000 per annum Likes to go to the gym Likes to read books Enjoys watching TV shows and horror films
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Airbnb “The Big Reunion” short ad campaign
Bibliography http://adage.com/article/digital/airbnb-launches-global-ad-campaign-markets/293108/ accessed on 4th January 2015 http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/20/airbnbbig-in-europe/ accessed on 4th January 2015 https://www.airbnb.co.uk/about/about-us accessed on 4th January 2015 http://northwesternbusinessreview.org/looking-at-airbnb-through-michael-porters-competitive-advantage-framework/ accessed on 4th January 2015 http://blog.airbnb.com/world-belonging/ accessed on 5th January 2015
Reference Amidst report on new funding, Airbnb growth accelerates in Europe – 20th march, 2014 Ryan Lawler Looking at airbnb through Michael Porter’s competitive advantage framework – Robert Galliani 28th February, 2014
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Illustrations Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig Fig
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1. Airbnb.co.uk 2. Baconandheels.com 3. Airbnb.co.uk 4. blog.airbnb.com 5 – 10. Toptouristspots.com 11. blog.airbnb.com 12 – 15. Airbnb app 16 – 17. mashable.com/ 18 – 21. hollywoodandvines.com/ 22. Clipartbest.com 23. Pinterest.com 24. Aibnb.com 25. Pinterest.com
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Appendix Nottingham Trent University School of Art and Design
Ethical Clearance Checklist for individual student projects
To be completed by the student for an individual project that involves the collection of primary data this includes images, drawings, photographs, questionnaires and interviews. Please complete this document following the guidance in the School of Art and Design Ethical Guidelines and Framework for Research and Practice Undertaken by Students.
Section A: About the research
Name:
Airbnb
Programme of Study:
Fashion Communication Promotion
Module Title and Reference Number:
Communication and Message FASH20031
Name of module leader/supervisor responsible for the management of the project
Claire Phipps
Duration of project
Half Year 1
Project title
Airbnb Report
Section B: Training and experience
Have you had previous experience of or been trained in the methods employed to collect data, and/or discussed with your su- yes pervisor?
no
Have you been informed, given guidance, had issues outlined in relation to research ethics and consideration in relation to your yes project?
no
Section C: Methodology/Practice/Procedures
Does your proposed study involve procedures which are likely to cause physical, psychological, social or emotional distress to yes participants or yourself?
No
Does your proposed study involve the use of hazardous materials, other than those currently covered by the School Health and yes Safety procedures?
no
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Section D: Ethical checklist
Does your project involve observing/questioning/the use of people in any way? Yes
Please complete the remainder of the form
No
Go straight to Compliance with ethical principles and Declaration
D o e s yes y o u r study involve vulnerable participants as described in the Student Ethical Toolkit?
no
n/a
D o e s yes y o u r study involve observation and/or recording of identifiable participants without t h e i r knowledge?
no
n/a
Will par- yes ticipants give informed consent freely and be fully informed of the study and of the use of any data collected?
no
n/a
Will par- yes ticipants be informed of their right to withdraw from the study?
no
n/a
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Will all yes information on participants be treated as confidential and not identifiable unless agreed otherwise in a d va n c e and subject to l e g a l re q u i re ments?
no
n/a
Will any yes recordings of participants be securely kept and not released for use by third parties?
no
n/a
Will stor- yes age data comply with the D a t a Protection Act 1998?
no
n/a
If you have selected an answer shaded in grey, you must submit a full application to the Subject REC or modify the project. A full submission to the Subject PREC comprises of: this form, a project proposal, an additional statement of up to 500 words outlining the ethical issues raised by the project and the proposed approach to deal with these.
Compliance with Ethical Principles If you have completed the checklist to the best of your knowledge without selecting an answer shaded in grey, the research is deemed to conform with the ethical checkpoints and you do not need to seek formal approval from the Subject PREC. Please sign the declaration below, and lodge the completed checklist with your supervisor.
Declaration I have read the Ethical Guidelines and Framework for Research and Practice Undertaken by Students. I confirm that the above named investigation complies with published codes of conduct, ethical principles and guidelines of professional bodies associated with the research discipline.
Name of student: ……………………………………………………………………………… Signature of student ……………………………………………………………………………….
Signature of supervisor/module leader ……………………………………………..…………………………..………. Date ………………………………………………………………..
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