ALEXANDRA DAY N0504134
BELONG ANYWHERE AIR BNB DIGITAL CAMPAIGN
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CONTENT
INTRODUCTION RESEARCH CONSUMER PROFILE BIG IDEA CREATIVE CONCEPT CAMPAIGN RESEARCH METHODOLOGY BIBLIOGRAPHY ILLUSTRATIONS APPENDIX
INTRODUCTION
It’s a funny word that; belong. A small fish in a very big pond that is the English language. A microscopic component to the dictionary, yet a representation of the deciding factor in someone’s quality of life. Acceptance is a basic primal instinct, feeling part of something through engagement and exploration of adventures’ uncertainty. It represents the moments, the people; the times when the world as you know changes before your eyes. Throughout this report I am going to explain my insights drawn form my research into Air BnB and the path it took me down. With over one million places to stay and a mass of 550,000 guests, it’s safe to say Air Bnb don’t just provide a home from home. (Anderson, K., 2012) They give you the chance to go to a place you’ve never heard of and leave with experiences you’ll never forget. With that said, there’s always room for improvement and the task of worldwide human connection is a big ask, but certainly attainable through the engagement of others and strong promotional strategies.
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I BELONG.
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RESEARCH
I started to research Air BnB as a whole and find out a little more about the company. With a modern, inviting website and friendly brand ethos, it’s not surprising that there was a 240% increase in demand over the past year. (Anderson, K., 2012) This demonstrates the growing public interest -but are there certain generations targeted for different reasons? Are there new people to reach and new projects to create? I started to research rival companies including Trip Advisor, hostel world and Roomarama. Like any organization there were both good and bad reviews, however I noticed particularly with trip advisor, there were an alarming amount of bad reviews from young women travelling, either on their own or with others. Totally bad experience: bad area, bad room full of beds, bad manners at reception... bad atmosphere.� (Pesaro, D., 2009)
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host for the same amount of money, know you will be safe and have the priceless knowledge of a local willing to help. Younger travellers understandably have limited budgets but in this day and age – safety, especially for young women in a foreign environment is crucial. Women in particular are fueling an explosive growth in the travel industry, with 75 % taking adventure or cultural trips and an estimated 32 million single American women travelling at least once in the last year- Travel Industry association (Bond, M., 2013)
“… he angrily shoved a chair and yelled at us some more. He threatened to kick us out 3 times, when we did nothing wrong. The lockers that are available are not large enough to hold a bag...bathroom area was gross. There was no hand soap. We could not be happier to leave this hostel. – (anon., 2009) One review said “Only stay here if your only other option is sleeping on the street.” There was never any mention of Air BnB in the comments below these posts from other travellers even though I t’s so blindingly obvious to many that this would be a more successful option. “ The tablecloths are so dirty that we could hardly eat. The hotel has no ventilation and it is a really sauna inside.- (Mari., S, 2012)
An article on NBC news had comments such as “A single woman traveling alone is risky. In a foreign country, it is downright foolish.” And “A woman has no business traveling alone.” (McNicholas, H., 2013) But is that really fair? Yes women are at slightly more risk but that shouldn’t stop them from travelling.
It was interesting to find that the only reason I didn’t find any negative reviews on hostel world was because they have the power to delete any comments they like.
Xenophobia is the Problem. ‘I get asked about safety for women travelers a lot, and it’s not surprising, movies like Taken and the news media do a pretty good job of convincing us the world is a really scary place, particularly for women. (Yoder, S., 2013) Today’s generation of young people are more informed, more mobile and more adventurous than ever before. (Rifai, T., 2013)
“Once I gave such a bad review of a place … they removed every review I made, even the positive ones. They also banned me from posting reviews for a while.” (anon., 2007) It seems there is a great deal of censorship with reviews on accommodation sites, often the hostels themselves scanning and removing negative comments. With this sort of thing happening, the safety of Air BnB is a valuable selling point, which doesn’t seem to be getting through to the travelling community.
With youth travel being one of the fastest growing and most dynamic markets of the global tourism sector, it’s not just the safety aspect of it that’s important. Investing in local tourism businesses is one step closer to a sustainable tourism sector and local economy, bringing about positive change and demonstrating their financial value to local economies.
You could either spend £10 for a cheap hostel in Bangkok with poor reviews and having to share with strangers or stay with a trusted, verified
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For my primary research I conducted a focus group with four of my friends; two of which had been travelling on their gap year and the other two planning to do so after university. The results were really informative and gave me an insight into the way other young women feel when they travel. The main concerns that came up were safety and knowledge of the area they would be staying in. (See Appendix) When prompted about the possibility of staying with someone who knew the area they all agreed that it would make things a lot easier and would put their minds at ease. The verification and reviews was a selling point for the participants but also the personal correspondence; ‘if you’re e-mailing the hosts and booking places you get to speak to them a bit before … yeah I would definitely feel a lot safer than some random hostel.’ (Jenkins, R., 2015) When asked if they would consider using Air BnB particularly whilst travelling in the future they began to talk about benefits other than safety; ‘being immersed in the culture, meeting new people and seeing new places, yea I would definitely use it..’ (Bellchambers, S., 2015) This is exactly what Air BnB promote through their brand- the experience through using it and not just a plush hotel room. Although all participants had heard of Air BnB and were aware of the attractions of it, none of them had considered using it throughout their gap year travels, despite the evident benefits. This suggests that this audience needs to be targeted more;
“… if it’s going to be aimed at our kind of age group for travelling then they would have to market it more … I wouldn’t know about it … I wouldn’t really think about it for travelling either..” (Jenkins, R., 2015) I also conducted an interview with parents to gain an insight into their concerns when I went travelling in my Gap Year. One of the main concerns was the lack of contacts I had in Thailand and whether I would have someone who spoke the language to help me if need be. The prospect of me staying with a local family, as long as the verification process was sufficient was a much safer approach in their eyes. ‘you would know in advance where you’re going to be. So you’d have an address, a telephone number, which town you’re in. Whereas, when you went off, we didn’t actually know where you’d be exactly until you let us know.’ (Day, B., 2015) In summary, both pieces of primary research had very similar results and demonstrated the list of benefits for both students and parents whilst travelling. Although both groups were in agreement that for this concept to become more popular with youth travellers, it would have to be targeted more at them, particularly through social media. For the final part of my creative research, I asked a few of the participants who filled out a questionnaire I put together to also send me a picture which they felt represented belonging. Air Bnb is a very visual company so I decided to tie this in with the research and gain visual results instead of just getting the public to explain what they felt belonging meant. This gave me more of an insight into the different areas of belonging people people associated themselves with, be it family, friends or even a destination.
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A REPRESENTATION OF BELONGING AS PART OF MY PRIMARY RESEARCH RESULTS
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CONSUMER PROFILE
Because of Air BnB’s unique set up, both traveller and host are the consumer, with different roles in the process but similar interest in what they want to gain from the experience. The age range of consumers differs, however the over 30s dominate the sector a little more, all with the desire to travel and explore at a reasonable price. Plush, restricted hotel rooms are not what appeals to the air bnb consumer, they are much more interested in getting the most out of an experience through culture and interaction however with the added safety that air bnb provides. Both traveller and host rely on eachother for the system to work, which creates an automatic connection between strangers, becoming potential friends. The added similar interest in travel also creates a connection between the two, with many hosts being past travellers. Social Media is a crucial factor of air bnb and has played a large part in the company’s success meaning both parties of consumers are highly competent with social media.
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18-25 YOUNG TRAVELLER CURIOUS FRIENDLY Fig.12
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ADVENTUROUS
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THE BIG IDEA After the insights I’ve gained through my consumer and brand research, have decided to target target the younger generation of travellers, tar After the insights I have gained from my consumer and brand research, I have decided geting both gap year students and also graduates wanting to travel after university. Air BnB is the perfect way for them to travel safely and experience culture first hand. They won’t get ripped off by mass-market travel organizations and can experience a ‘ home away from home’. As my target audience is the younger generation, I plan to use the story telling theory of marketing throughout my big idea and take advantage of their desire to experience new things after viewing specific user generated content e.g. watching a video/ hearing travel stories.
ed through social media platforms displaying memorable experiences. “ 92% of consumers want brand to make adverts that feel like a story ( WEINROTH, A,2014) hence the annual success of the John Lewis Christmas adverts..
Whilst conducting background research I came across air bnb’s ‘view’ ad, a feel good advert with engaging content and ‘true’ footage. Their style of filming felt like a home movie, which is what inspired my idea. With social media playing a big part within the younger generation, story- telling through facebook, Instagram and twitter is almost a way of life.
“As the tourism industry itself goes through unprecedented change…youth travel has the most to contribute through the innovation required of it by pioneering, heavy tech-using, socially and environmentally conscious customers, i.e. young people.” (Blanco, J., Fitzgerald, D., Jordan, P., Egido, L., UNWTO, WYSE confederation, 2013) For my campaign, I want to target young travellers who perhaps feel more vulnerable, especially women. Through my research I found that the younger generation of travellers feel the need to be better informed of the benefits they can gain through using Air BnB whilst travelling the world, not just in their own country where they may know the area better.
“story telling of such enactments includes conversations between consumers and brands both unconscious and conscious levels of thinking.” (Woodside, A. Sood, S. And Miller, K E. 2008, p.98) For my Big Idea I have decided to hold a competition for 18-25 year olds amongst the travelling community to create an Instagram video of their happiest 15 seconds. It can be anything, whether they’re travelling or not, it just has to represent a time they felt they belonged somewhere. You can also submit a photography entry of you holding your favourite photo in a special place. It can be anything they like and will be encouraged to be as creative as possible. The winning entry will win a round the world trip and accommodation through Air BnB and also be used to promote travelling through the use of Air Bnb on all social media platforms and travel companies aimed at the younger generation of travellers to spread the word. The winner will be given a small polaroid camera to take pictures of their best moments whilst travelling to send into the Air BnB office. The pictures will be put onto a big moodboard wall in the office along with other entries to help their creative juices flow! As part of my research, I conducted a questionnaire to determine Channel strategy to figure out which social media platforms will help to best tell my story to a targeted audience, bringing the most measurable success if the correct audience is targeted. (Frick, T. and Eyler-Werve, K., 2015.) Messaging and promotion strategy will also be considered throughout the creative output in order to create custom messages and strategy geared at diff
The aim is to ensure that more of the younger generation can continue to benefit from the enriching experience of travel and the communities they can become a part of. My research has shown me that this audience isn’t well enough informed about Air BnB and automatically look through trip advisor or hostel world.com for cheap accommodation, not even realizing that they could experience so much more by using Air BnB with the utmost safety at the same time.
‘if it’s going to be aimed at our kind of age group for travelling then they would have to market it more and aim it at us. … I wouldn’t really think about it for travelling either if it wasn’t for the fact that I had used it once already and been over Christmas.’ (Jenkins, R., 2015)
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‘The social and cultural benefits for the young traveller and the communities that host them are far reaching, long-term and measurably more sustainable than other forms of tourism.� (Blanco, J., Fitzgerald, D., Jordan, P., Egido, L., UNWTO, WYSE confederation, 2013)
CREATIVE CONCEPT
For my creative concept, I am going to launch a digital campaign aimed at young adults aged 18-25, targeting both gap year students and also graduates wanting to travel after university. Air BnB is the perfect way for them to travel safely and experience culture first hand. They won’t get ripped off my mass market travel organisations and can experience a ‘ home away from home’. My research has shown me that this audience isn’t well enough informed about Air BnB and automatically look through trip advisor or hostel world.com for cheap accommodation, not even realizing that they could experience so much more by using Air BnB with the utmost safety at the same time. I am going to hold a competition aimed at young adults aged 18-25 amongst the travelling community. Their challenge will be to create an Instagram video of their happiest 15 seconds. It can anything, whether they’re travelling or not, it just has to represent a time they felt they belonged somewhere. You can also submit a photography entry of you holding your favourite photo in a special place. It can be anything they like and will be encouraged to be as creative as possible. With Facebook and Instagram being the two most popular Social Media Platforms, the digital campaign will be promoted through them both, using hash tags such as #gapyear and #airbnbtravel. I will be employing content strategy throughout my creative concept, creating content valuable to my target audience and developing key messages optimized for the channels they use. (Frick, T. and Eyler-Werve, K., 2015. P.7)
The aim is to see everyone’s perception of belonging through their own eyes, to demonstrate that anyone and everyone can feel like they belong no matter who where or what you are. The winning entry will win a round the world trip and accommodation through Air BnB. This winning entry will also be used to promote travelling through the use of Air Bnb on all social media platforms and travel companies aimed at the younger generation of travellers to spread the word. The winner will also be given a small polaroid camera to take pictures of their best moments whilst travelling to send into the Air BnB office. The pictures will be put onto a big moodboard wall in the office along with other entries to help their creative juices flow and promote the competition. By involving the consumer and placing them at the centre of the digital marketing strategy, they feel part of something and are more in control of the massages fellow travellers receive. (Rowan, W., 2002)
CREATIVE CONCEPT
BOX
Stunning, natural lighting will be used to re-iterate the rawness of travelling and beauty of the sights you see.
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Fig.29 All about POV style of filming that makes the viewer feel completely involved. This style is so popular, especially with adverts at the moment and I think would tie in great with Air BnB as a brand
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CAMPAIGN
For my Digital video campaign I want to produce a fast speed, upbeat video lasting no longer than a minute. I will use uplifting music in the background (Almost everything- Wakey! Wakey! – without lyrics) and jump from shot to shot of a selection of travel footage; running, dancing, laughing, on motorbikes, speed boats, tuk tuks, snorkeling, jumping, diving- you name it, the adventurous activity will most likely be in the advert. I want it to look fun and exhilarating, enticing the viewer in and making them realize the excitement of travelling. At the start of the advert I will include the drawing of the belo symbol on the foggy window at the very beginning and progress through the completion of it at stages throughout the film, finishing it off with the completion of the symbol and the quote ‘ We all belong’ at the bottom of the screen. I am going to use the non lyrical version of this song so that I can have encouraging, poetic narration throughout the film.
Shot 5 -the people. Shot 6- the times, Shot7- when the world as you know it changes before your eyes Shot 8-Some opportunities only come once- seize them Shot 9-Travel often Shot 10- and get back to adventures uncertainty
At the end of the advert there will be information about the competition that can be entered and a link to more information explaining the details.
Pause in narration, continue with travel footage
Shot 1 -This is your life. Shot2-Do what you love and do it often Shot 3-Life is simple Shot 4-It’s the moments,
We are united in our differences And we belong anywhere
(Nearer end of video)
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THIS IS YOUR LIFE
DO WHAT YOU LOVE
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IT’S THE MOMENTS
LIFE IS SIMPLE
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THE PEOPLE
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THE TIMES
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SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES
THE WORLD CHANGES
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ADVENTURE’S UNCERTAINTY
TRAVEL OFTEN
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UNITED IN OUR DIFFERENCES
BELONG ANYWHERE
PRINT CAMPAIGN
SHOW US YOUR BEST 15 SECONDS OF BELONGING AND WE’LL SHOW YOU RIGHT BACK. #AIRBNB FOR DETAILS
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
FOUCUS GROUP- YOUNG FEMALE TRAVELLERS
I plan to conduct a focus group with a group of friends from home over Skype to discover whether the results will support my secondary research and demonstrate its validity. I will choose two participants who have previously travelled and two who are planning to after university to gain a range of results. Effectiveness of research method The observation of the interaction was really insightful and gave me an idea of the general perception of Air BnB through the younger generation’s eyes. I collated strong quotes from the focus group that I was able to use in the report and consolidate my research. If I were to re-do this I would try and meet up in person with the participants as I feel you gain less of an insight into their reaction to questions through electronic platforms such as Skype. The conclusive outcome of this focus group justified my initial thoughts on Air Bnb within the younger generation, particularly in regards to travel. I was unable to get hold of male participants for this particular focus group, however I was focusing more on the female opinions as I feel the safety aspect on Air Bnb appealed more to them.
SKYPE INTERVIEW- PARENTS
I plan to conduct a focus group style interview with my parents with pre-determined questions to prompt the participants and observe their immediate responses. The subject will be on their concerns when I went travelling for my gap year with one other female and their opinions on constructive change to ensure safety. The participants will not be informed on the subject of the interview to ensure their responses are immediate and not pre-determined. Effectiveness of research Method This research method was a success in terms of gathering information and gaining an insight into the parents’ view of youth travel. If I were to conduct it again I would also interview parents who are not my own as I felt some of the responses were more from a slightly over protective mother who wanted to know all details of accommodation at all times. This is a slightly unrealistic demand during young travel and defeats the purpose of going off on your own, however understandable from a Mothers point of view. I would also consider interviewing parents separately from each other as due to the nature of the interview they often mirrored each others’ responses, however not too frequently to affect results.
QUESTIONNAIRE I will also conduct a questionnaire to gain specific results for general research and gain understanding of a range or results from different age groups. However, as I am targeting my research at the younger generation, the questionnaire will be shared on Social Media sites such as Facebook and twitter, contacting candidates on a range of platforms.
REFERENCES
Kelli Anderson. (2012). Airbnb: by the Numbers [online]. Available: http://www.kellianderson.com/projects/airbnbquantified.html. Last accessed 31st December 2014. Diana Pesaro. (2009). a really bad experience. [online]. Available: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g187497-d568731-r117091838-Hostel_World_Online-Barcelona_Catalonia.html#REVIEWS. Last accessed 1st January 2015. anon (2009). i know you paid 24 euro but I can kick you out at any time. [online]. Available: http://www. tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g187497-d568731-r46980409-Hostel_World_Online-Barcelona_Catalonia.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT. Last accessed 1st January 2015 Mari S. (2012). Very bad hotel. [online]. Available: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviewsg1193628-d1184236-r137183885-Hotel_Happy_Elegant-Mahmutlar_Turkish_Mediterranean_Coast. html#CHECK_RATES_CONT. Last accessed 3 January 2015 anon (2007). Hostelworld Reviews: A Joke!. [online]. Available: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/ forums/travel-on-a-shoestring/topics/hostelworld-reviews-a-joke. Last accessed January 1st 2015. Marybeth Bond. (2013).Women Travel Statistics – 80% of All Travel Decisions Made by Women. [online]. Available: http://gutsytraveler.com/women-travel-statistics/. Last accessed January 2nd 2015. Harry McNicholas. (2013). Women’s solo travel under scrutiny after vacationer’s killing in Turkey [online].. Available: http://business.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/05/16853629-womens-solo-travel-under-scrutiny-after-vacationers-killing-in-turkey?lite. Last accessed January 1st 2015. Stephanie Yoder. (2013). Female Solo Travel is NOT the Problem. [online]. Available: http://twenty-somethingtravel.com/2013/02/female-solo-travel-is-not-the-problem/. Last accessed 3rd January 2015. Blanco, J., Fitzgerald, D., Jordan, P., Egido, L., (2013) The power of youth travel, The power of youth travel. foreword: Taleb rifai, volume 2, page 2 [online]. Available at: http://www.slovenia.info/pictures%5CTB_ board%5Catachments_1%5C2012%5CPorocilo_14215.pdf Jenkins, R., 2015. Air Bnb perceptions, Air bnb skype focus group. 4 January (See Appendix) Bellchambers, S., 2015. Air Bnb perceptions, Air bnb skype focus group. 4 January (See appendix) Day, B., 2015. Air Bnb perceptions, Air bnb skype focus group. 5 January (See Appendix) Woodside, A. Sood, S. And Miller, K E. (2008) When consumers and brands Talk: Storytelling Theory and Research in Psychology and Marketing. Vol 25. Wiley Interscience Frick, T. and Eyler-Werve, K., 2015. Return on Engagement: Content, Strategy, and Design Techniques for Digital Marketing. Second edition. Burlington: Focal Press Weinroth, A. (May 22 2014) Infgraphic: The science of storytelling. [online] One spot. Available at https:// www.onespot.com/blog/infographic-the-scene-of-stroytelling/. [Accessed 31/12/2014] Blanco, J., Fitzgerald, D., Jordan, P., Egido, L., (2013) The power of youth travel, The power of youth travel. foreword: Taleb rifai, volume 2, page 2 [online]. Available at: http://www.slovenia.info/pictures%5CTB_ board%5Catachments_1%5C2012%5CPorocilo_14215.pdf Jenkins, R., 2015. Air Bnb perceptions, Air bnb skype focus group. 4 January (See Appendix)
Frick, T. and Eyler-Werve, K., 2015. Return on Engagement: Content, Strategy, and Design Techniques for Digital Marketing. Second edition. Burlington: Focal Press
Rowan, W., 2002. Digital Marketing: using new technologies to get closer to your customers. Milford : Kogan Page Ingledew, J., 2011, The A - Z of Visual Ideas: How to Solve any Creative Brief. London: Laurence king
ILLUSTRATIONS
Fig. 1 Day, A., 2012, own photo
Fig.2 anon, 2013, [digital image] Available at: http://katuriankaturiankaturian.tumblr.com/ page/10 Fig.3 anon, 2014, [ digital image] Available at: http://gizmodo.com/the-new-airbnb-logo-is-thesexual-rorschach-test-for-ou-1606062970 Fig.4 Harries, J., 2014, Ghostly reflections out of the plane window. [digital image] Instagram Available at: http://instagram.com/p/svwDY7pvan/?modal=true Fig.5 Day, A., 2013, own image [ photograph] Fig.6 Harries, J., 2014,Exploring the woods with @ellagracedenton [digital image] Available at: http://instagram.com/p/uyQkDdJvTr/?modal=true Fig.7[Harries, F., 2014, Giving yourself creative restrictions can help improve your craft. [digital image] Available at: http://instagram.com/p/t5YHStCydC/?modal=true Fig.8 Day, A., 2013, own image Fig.9 Day, A., 2013, own image Fig.10 Day, A., 2013, own image Fig.11 Day, A., 2013, own image Fig.12 anon, 2010, [digital image] Available at: http://muttonheadstore.tumblr.com Fig.13 Zulu & zephyr, 2013, [digital image] Available at: http://blog.zuluandzephyr.com Fig.14 Harries, J., 2014, There’s no one I’d rather spend a day with. Walking the woods in Yorkshire. [digital image] Available at: http://instagram.com/p/udr3VfpvZl/?modal=true Fig.15 Harries, J., 2014, Last weekend we spent some time in a friends cottage exploring the woods. No tech, no internet. Highly recommended! (shot with a film camera) [digital image] Available at: http://instagram.com/p/vjezapJvf5/?modal=true Fig.16 anon, 2014, [ digital image] Available at: http://blogs.ft.com/tech-blog/2014/07/airbnb-new-logo-belo/ Fig.17 Millerza, N., 2014, Having so much fun on this epic Transkei road trip! Pictured here is 4x4 racing driver @jackharries [digital image]Available at: http://instagram.com/p/weOmSONGGp/?modal=true Fig.18 anon, 2012, [digital image] Available at: https://magazine.wework.com/knowledge/tell-ameaningful-story-through-video/ Fig.19 Airbnb Views, 9 May 2014, [user generated content] Air bnb. Available at: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=_yfXzD7tnbM [Date accesses: 1 January 2015] Fig.20 Lee, J., 2009, Day 124/365: Nostalgia [digital image] Available at: http://www.flickr.com/ photos/justinlee89/3502874366/in/faves-sarahbinnemans/ Fig.21 anon, 2011, [digital image] Available at: http://wildexpeditions.tumblr.com Fig.22 anon, 2012 [digital image] Available at: http://awelltraveledwoman.tumblr.com/page/64 Fig.23 Fig.24 Airbnb Views, 9 May 2014, [user generated content] Air bnb. Available at: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=_yfXzD7tnbM [Date accesses: 1 January 2015] Fig.25 anon, 2014, The Airbnb Design and DesignStudio teams bonded while pouring over hundreds of pieces of inspiration and building mood boards together. [digital image] Available at: http://designairs.com/inside-brand-evolution/ Fig.26 Harries, J.,2014, Photographing my reflection in the mirrored ceiling of the John Hancock tower in Chicago [digital image]Available at: http://instagram.com/p/usRZ5RJvW4/?modal=true Fig.27 Neistat, C., 2010, a Polaroid from 2012 of @JackHarries & @FinnHarries didn’t come out of the camera until I took a selfie yesterday [digital image] Available at: https://twitter.com/ caseyneistat/status/497056329304129537 Fig.28 anon, 2011, [digital image] Available at: http://thefourqueens.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Page%20of%20Wands Fig.29 Harries, J., 2015, Starting this year in the beautiful country of Kenya. Jambo! [digital image]Available at: http://instagram.com/p/xZKR0OpvdF/?modal=true Fig.30 Day,S., 2014, own photograph Croatia [photograph] Fig.31 Harries, J., 2015, Starting this year in the beautiful country of Kenya. Jambo! [digital im-
age]Available at: http://instagram.com/p/xZKR0OpvdF/?modal=true Fig.32 Day, A., 2012, own photograph Thailand [photograph] Fig.33 Day, A., 2012, own photograph Thailand [photograph] Fig.34Day, A., 2012, own photograph Thailand [photograph] Fig.35 Brown, B., 2014, India, [digital image] Available at: http://www.mrbenbrown.com/blogs/ news/12808341-images-of-india Fig.36 Millerza, N., 2014, Having so much fun on this epic Transkei road trip! Pictured here is 4x4 racing driver @jackharries [digital image]Available at: http://instagram.com/p/weOmSONGGp/?modal=true Fig.37 Brown, B., 2014, costa Rica, [digital image] Available at : http://www.mrbenbrown.com/ blogs/news/12803785-celebrating-100k-subscribers Fig.38 Harries, J.,2014, Reflecting on the summer. So many lovely people, so many lovely places. Feeling very lucky.[digital image] Available at: http://instagram.com/p/snKii8JvXq/?modal=true Fig.39 Day, S., 2014, A pplace out there, [digital image] Available at: http://24.media.tumblr. com/tumblr_li3e8uwJ7r1qa2kv9o1_500.jpg Fig.40 Harries, J., 2014, Hello! [digital image] Available at: http://instagram.com/p/xR9PooJvX9/?modal=true Fig.41 Day,A., 2014, own image Fig.42 Brown, B., 2014, [digital image] Available at: http://mrbenbrown.tumblr.com/ post/104351447618
APPENDIX
Focus group Results Participants: Emily Watts, Sophie Bellchambers, Rebecca Jenkins and Emily Ashcroft •
What was your main concern when you went travelling? / What would be your concern?
E.W- To be honest I didn’t feel particularly safe at some points, also not having home comforts but not feeling safe mostly E.A-I was worried where I would keep my passport and my money- I didn’t really know how safe the area was. Cleanliness of building as I’m quite a hygeninc person and I wanted there to be a lock on the door. R.J-I agree, not knowing my way around, im bad with directions and knowledge of places so if I was on my own I would be an absolute mare trying to get anywhere to visit Prompt-AD-Would you find it easier if you were staying with someone who knew the area? R.J-Yea definitely, someone who could just direct me in the right direction or give me a plan where I could visit or give me tips of where to go S.B- Safe transport aswell, like knowing what’s safe to travel on, because you don’t know about taxis and stuff and how it all works, it would put my mind at ease. •
Would you feel comfortable staying in someone’s home if it meant you knew you were safe?
E.W- Yea S.B-Yeas as long as they had some kind of verification and reviews R.J- And I’d had a bit of correspondence and spoken to them a bit beforehand, Because if you’re e-mailing them and booking places you will get to speak to them a bit before and had a bit of contact with them before and felt comfortable then yeah I would definitely feel a lot safer than some random hostel. E.A- I’d also like in the information of the place to tell me whether it had sufficient locking devices, I wouldn’t want any randomers walking in B- Cos also you’re in someone’s home so you want to feel like safe but you may also want your own privacy • Have you heard or Air BnB? E.W- Yea I have E.A-Yes I’ve used it. Prompt- AD-Had you heard about it before we used it at Christmas? E.A-Yea I used it in New Orleans R.J- Yea I read something on it a while ago •
Would you consider using it?
E.W- Yea, I think it would be good to meet people who are residents where you’re going because they’ll have more knowledge about the area you’re staying in and be able to give you advice on where to go R.J-Yea I would definitely use it, 100% (ADD ON) S.B –In fact ,me and Becks were talking about interrailing and I was thinking it would be a good way to stay places E.A- I have used it and would recommend it
R.J- I also think you’d feel a bit more involved in the actual culture, you wouldn’t just be staying in somewhere that was commercial and was like mass- produced. Because one thing people say when they travel to different places is that a lot of people of they don’t know what they’re doing they just stick to the main tourist attractions and don’t actually venture in to the actual culture of a place. Whereas if you’re staying with someone who actually lived there, you’re more likely to hear and they’re more likely to tell you about stuff you wouldn’t necessarily read about in a tourist book or something E.A- Yea when we went to New Orleans she gave us bikes and told us all about everything around the area and gave us guide books • Do you feel you need to be more informed about this for Air BnB to reach this audience of younger travellers, especially female. E.W- Yea definitely, say you’re going travelling, if they could set up specific places where they could recommend you stay that Air BnB had already checked out and checked the cleanliness etc. then you’d feel more relaxed about staying there S.B- I think because I know it I would think about it anyway but that’s only because I know it quite well because my Mum is a host but if that wasn’t the case I would say yes, we need to be targeted more R.J- I’d agree with Sophie, I think if it’s going to be aimed at our kind of age group for travelling then they would have to market it more and aim it at us. Cos I think, I wouldn’t know about it if it wasn’t for Sophie. And I wouldn’t really think about it for travelling either if it wasn’t for the fact that I had used it once already and been there with you girls over Christmas. But I don’t think I would have though of it otherwise E.A- Yea we only found it on google, in New Orleans R.J- Maybe they need to like promote it through uni or something, or you know when they do open days for like gap years and stuff with sign ups and stuff. They have them at most unis and colleges but I’ve never seen an Air BnB one. They should have a stall at things like that as obviously students would be there and that would be prime time Prompt- AD- Yes, also I know that when Emily and I went travelling loads of people said that the travel agents and gap year organisations actually just rip you off R.J- yea they do E.W- Yea it’s definitely more trustworthy Interview completed.
Skype Interview with my parents- Tim Day and Barbara Day •
What were your initial concerns when I decided to go travelling?
T- whether you were streetwise enough to cope with the situations you could be forced to consider in a strange country with no backups B- safety obviously, organizational skills, I thought you were probably okay but not sure T- If you remember one of my chief concerns was that you didn’t have any contacts in Thailand so I got hold of David in Australia whose surrogate daughter lives in Thailand. We got a contact number so if anything did happen we would have someone who spoke the language and knew the system and that’s a big plus in a country like that. Prompt- So do you think it would be better, especially for young travellers like myself to stay with a family who knows the language, knows their way round and can help me out if I did need it? D- Yes definitely, absolutely M- The other thing that I was concerned about, if you recall, was safety particularly concerning hostel and hotel rooms. So If you remember, I bought for you a particular lock that you can put it on a door if you don’t trust the quality of the lock or if indeed, there is no lock so people can’t come from outside into your room because in countries where you don’t know what you’re doing where you’re going, what kind of place you’re going to be staying in- that is important. So with Air BnB that would be completely irrelevant because you’re staying in someone’s home, they have their own security T- As long as the vetting process is a good one B- And reliable T- Because there’s no point in having a vetting process if it’s not actually bonifide Prompt- Yes that’s what they pride themselves on I guess, that yes you’re staying in a strangers house but because you’re doing it through this organization, they go through all these different tests to make sure it’s safe B- And they vet the applicants as well as the people who are providing the accommodation. T- Providing that side’s all covered then obviously another advantage is if you went to somebody’s house, you would know in advance where you’re going to be. So you’d have an address, a telephone number, which town you’re in. Whereas, when you went off, we didn’t actually know where you’d be exactly until you let us know. B- Neither did you actually. I think there was one address where you knew you were going to be but otherwise you didn’t know. Prompt-Yes because I remember before I went travelling, lots of people I talked to said not to go through the travel agents and all those Gap Year organisations because they actually rip you off, so a lot of people told me to organize it when I was out there but actually it’s not really the safest option looking back on it. T- No B- No it isn’t really . • If you could change any factors of travelling to feel more at ease what would they be? B- From a parent’s point of view I would say fixed itinerary would be a good thing, and obviously if you could plan your accommodation so that we know, let’s say on a certain date you’re going to be in Bangkok at this place, we could look it up and vet it then on another date you would on Phuket at this accommodation- we would always know where you are so we could be sure you are safe T- connectivity, so that if you’ve got a mobile phone, that it is connected and on and that one can call at any time. B- And actually talking about phones, that’s another important thing, generally the places that you stayed at, we wouldn’t have been able to contact you on a landline. If you go to a hotel, or an Air BnB place where there’s a landline, we would know that we could contact you even if you hadn’t charged your phone up or if you’d lost it or it was stolen or whatever. We would know that we would be able to contact you on a landline on certain between certain dates. That would have been very useful. • Had you heard of Air BnB before I mentioned it? B -Yes I read an article on it before in the telegraph T- Yes I read about it in the weekend newspaper, the telegraph
• Would your minds be put at ease If I had used an organization like that? B- Yes definitely T- Yes • Do you feel that Air BnB need to target the younger audience more so they are aware? Or more at parents? B- I don’t know how much Air BnB targets the younger audience anyway so I can’t really answer that but in the particular scenario you’re talking about, clearly they would need to be more focused on the younger generation, but maybe make the promotion available to parents too because they often help in planning. The parents need to be secure in the knowledge that they know where their child’s going to be on certain dates. That’s my feeling. T- Yes you could have an Air BnB section for Gap year takers, young travellers Prompt- So a little more advertisement at the younger generation? T- Yes so at University level or social media that the kids use B- that’s a good point actually, maybe adverts on facebook or something. Interview completed.
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