Belong to Care | AIRBNB by chaaryau

BELONG TO CARE

A sense of belonging can be interpreted by companionship, security and comfort. This is something that Airbnb is committed to projecting through their service their intention is to deliver an ethos that connects people worldwide instilling the notion that they can belong anywhere. The privately owned corporation was founded in August 2008 and headquarted in San Francisco, California by Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk and Joe Gebbia. They built a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover and book prime accommodations at any price point around the world in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries.

WHO ARE AIRBNB?

They differentiate themselves as a communitydriven hospitality company that sets them aside from other accommodation competitors on the market. They connect people from around the world to unique travel experiences, this is done by their unique consumer to consumer service as appose to hotel company’s as they provide a more stagnated approach. This is shown by Airbnb’s core principles of hospitality, belonging, and opening doors around the world. “For Airbnb hospitality is personal and we are committed to spread a sense of belonging,” “To turn strangers into friends” – (prnewswire.com,January2014) Based on this evidence I will assume that the sense of comfort brings the sense of belonging both existing and new clients. Airbnb came up with innovative ways to curate their listings on their homepage, the site became more than “renting a spare room” and instead became a cool/quirky/creative way to discover properties. Their startup has seen more than 11 million guests stay since 2008, they have seen a growth of 750% since 2009 to $450 million in funding and a $10 billion valuation (venturebeat.com, Gregory Ferenstein June19 2014). As the company grew, so did the traffic to their website. It is well known

that many of these visitors browse the Airbnb site as a recreational activity, however of the other visitors, for some they believe that booking through Airbnb is socially current and so would share it on their various social networks, thus spreading word of mouth marketing which could be argued to be one of the most effective. From a price perspective it rivals hotels, whilst offering an equally high or in some cases, higher quality of service. This attracts a new type of customer who, before, may not have been able to travel due to the high cost, thus opening a whole new market of consumers looking for low cost accommodation. According to a recent study published by Strategy One firm, March 2013, 90% of travelers in the world who book their holidays on the Internet would use and be influenced by consumer reviews when choosing their reservation or destination, taking this into consideration, Airbnb offers a user-friendly review system that allows their existing buyers and sellers to share and receive honest feedback their review system aims to be personal, detailed and genuine with this, it will help empower new customers to try out this new experience of living and trend that is growing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People really are looking at this for economic environmental and lifestyle reasons. By making this access as convenient as ownership, companies are seeing a major shift.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; (Forbes. com,Tomio Geron,2013).

CONSUMER

The Airbnb travelers or ‘guests’ enjoy different experiences from what standard hotels can provide them, Airbnb in recent years have put a strong emphasis on the feeling of ‘belonging’ and pride themselves on providing a strong personalized service. “As personalized marketing space expands and those in the travel and hospitality industry opt targeted campaigns and more relevant messaging strategy. Consumer data have become essential to an effective marketing department” (Skift + Boxever 2014). As previously mentioned Airbnb’s room rates are significantly lower than many rival hotels. Looking at the current economic climate, Economic necessity has just made people more open to new ways of accessing what they need and how to go about getting it. (Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers,2010). Host’s and guests are willing to search how they can maximize their assets and save their money. “Consumers are choosing to broaden their demands in the diverse travel landscape” – (hotcourseabroadguests, Alejandra Diaz,2014). With Airbnb being a wide community with varied price points, vast amount of users, numerous location destinations and diverse cultures, it is hard to identify their specific consumers. For example, Airbnb has mainly served tourists with a specific cost budget,

it has been drawing in a larger share of business travelers, due to their user friendly scale to alter the prices companies can save money when going away for meetings and conferences. Being a host in Airbnb’s sharing economy ethos, provides an opportunity for host’s to meet new people and become ambassadors of their own micro business, moreover allowing them to leverage their hard assets into income growth, Evidently, the increase of enterprises is part of a longterm trend. In 2008 there were 4.26 million businesses. By 2012 this had increased to 4.8 million. Prior to these results, this shows that “Collaborative Consumption are becoming ‘micro entrepreneurs’ (Botsman, R. and Rogers, R. (2010), disrupting old notions about consumption and ownership.

RESEARCH

From studying my secondary research I was aware of the current social trends that we are challenged with and how Airbnb are confronting them whilst remaining true to their core principles of hospitality and embracing the feeling of belonging. It is clear that ‘brand actions speak louder than words’ and ‘brand experience speaks louder than ads’. (L. Sullivan,1998). Using these principles, they have recently started a campaign to invite their global community, to help turn strangers into friends through a personal and unique act of hospitality whilst

documenting their experiences using the hashtag #OneLessStranger. Airbnb are giving $10 to100,000 of their community members worldwide, this money will be used to bring an act of kindness with the goal to encourage others to join in this movement. The community would then document their experiences via social media. By using ‘Intranet technology it makes it easier than ever for people at the top to coalesce the work force with information that encourages a feeling of pride in belonging’ (Daryl Travis,2000). Following this campaign I looked further into trends that are on the social market with this I found Pay it forward day, a site that encourages everyone to embrace the power of giving. The site has encouraged 500,000 people in 60 countries around the world, to join in participating on the day. Pay It Forward Day is about changing the world one good deed a day and to inspire someone else to make a positive difference. Looking at these emotive trends that connect people together, I started to look into theories that motivate people to achieve a happier standard of living, with this I discovered Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a system whereby once an individual has succeeded in fulfilling a specific level they move onto the next as so one and so forth. Then, once reached the highest level – self-actualization, the individual would concentrate on the needs to better society. Reflecting back into the emotive style of Airbnb’s campaigns, I began to look into emotional marketing and whether this could be interpreted into my campaign. Following this, I created a questionnaire and conducted an interview with a friend who recently came back from her travels, from this I was able to gather insights on consumer involvement, what travel experience they have and attempting understanding their likes and dislikes with regards to accommodation. From the questionnaire, I gathered 32 responses from ages between 17-50 year olds, as I understand that Airbnb has a wide community of various ages who utilize the worldwide firm. Using these outcomes I formed a table of keywords from the questionnaire results, the most common answer when asked ‘what does belonging mean to you?’ was the feeling of acceptance and

feeling safe. By conducting this questionnaire I was able to gain first hand insight, observing consumer thoughts and views on their travelling experiences. By carrying out this interview with Nina Patel, it gave me insightful knowledge of her day to day experiences and emotive stories. From the information I received, I was able to execute a day in the life, data visualization board of the daily items, products and services she used and found helpful when travelling. After drawing out these insights from my research, I began to creatively brainstorm ideas of what terms we associate the word ‘belonging’ with and how the sense of belonging can create a big impact. ‘You can create a feeling of belonging by chat, natter tests and by keeping everybody informed about everything that’s going on.’ (Travis.D,2000). I believe that belonging is an emotion that is more desirable than personal possessions therefore I wanted to focus on growing this emotion through helping others and creating personal contentment. Mahatma Gandhi once proclaimed “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

BIG IDEA

idea of belonging by trying to heighten people’s awareness of their own current belongings, rather than add upon, for the reason that it is more powerful to realize your own current sense of belonging rather than to constantly add upon your quality of life that is taken for granted. Why do people give to others? One principal driver involves one’s identity: who one is and how they view themselves. (Aaker, Jennifer and Toshi Akutsu (2009). My idea of belonging will embark on the method of enlightening people of their own individual sense of belonging. Rather than increasing upon an individuals already existing sense of belonging, I am hoping to help them realize the level they currently possess and not to take it for granted, furthermore I am hoping to share the feeling of belong to individuals who may not currently have that feeling. Research shows that ‘During the period July–September 2014 2,704 people were recorded as sleeping rough. This was an increase of 15% on the same period last year’ (homeless. org). Using the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid theory [Fig.1], as mentioned previously, the aim is to bring awareness, to help and focus on those less fortunate and struggling to even reach stage 2 (safety).

With Airbnb being a community driven company that utilizes emotional connections to their consumers through emotive videos on social platforms via Youtube. I chose to grow the Through aiding those individuals, we will help them feel the full

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” - Mahatma Gandi

sense of security to reach the next level of love and belonging, thus improving their quality of living. 4

The stage 3 individuals (our consumer) will move up the pyramid to stage 4. This is because, as the individual is now identifying with themselves and viewing themselves in a positive light, due to charitable giving, they build their esteem (stage 4) hence moving them up the pyramid. Due to the identifying with themselves they also become more aware of what they already have and take for granted, thus simultaneously increasing their current sense of belonging at the same time. My objective is to create a campaign movement for Airbnbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, app and through their social media platforms. Where people can list their houses/rooms using the same procedure that is followed by the company firm already, then at the end of the day or when the listing time has been terminated and the room or space has not been occupied, the owner can choose to whether let their room out to a person in need who has no shelter for the night by clicking on the

QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE

link #belongtoCare. This will then connect them to the belong to care campaign site where they will be informed about all details of the movement therefore will decide whether they want to give up their space for the night, free of charge to someone who needs it most. The creative campaign will be in partnership with Homeless.org, a trusted national membership charity that works directly with people who become homeless, the charity acts with the Government to improve the policies that affect people experiencing homelessness.

WHY?

By pairing up with Homeless.org, the campaign will operate smoothly and securely through Homeless.org vetting system. The main aim is to ensure hosts will feel safe and protected, letting them know that the people that are in need and are looking for place to stay for the night have been checked and have gone through an examined procedure through Homeless.org support staff.

Airbnb will operate a marketing program supplemented with data captured at the point of sale and lifestyle information through their Airbnb profile accounts, looking into those who have been actively using the #belongtoCare scheme. From Airbnb’s research and insight, the firm will recognize and celebrate the top 5 best hosts that help and care for those who need it most. This rewarding scheme will be taken further and the hosts will be invited to the Airbnb Open, their new event that empowers the best hosts in their community, began in 2014 and will be given Air Mile incentives. “By empowering consumers, brands are ultimately empowered themselves,” (Marc Gobé, 2006). Prior to their great act of belonging and hospitality, Airbnb will promote the individuals on their social media sites and tag them into the post, creating recognition and awareness furthermore bringing new consumers straight to the individual’s profile page.

CREATIVE CONCEPT

By using existing consumers to promote and share the campaign it will increase trust and loyalty. As research shows, customer share marketing is the development of an orderly, outbound marketing plan that is designed not to only retain existing customers, but also to grow customer share. It enhances customer relationships and building trust between buyer and seller. (Tom Osenton,2002) From studying Airbnb’s emotional and connecting videos, The campaign will be an emotive video advertisement that will be posted on Airbnb’s YouTube channel; this will be exposed to their 23,000 and growing followers. The reason why I believe video advertising will create a powerful message, is due the evidence that people are spending more time on the internet than before, with internet being available mostly anywhere we are, we can utilize high speed downloads from our mobile devices as these are becoming more and

Belong to care print campaign

more used and operated. (Mintel,2014) Furthermore, most social media and video descriptions can offer specific search marketing results for businesses, this will also allow the videos being viewed, having fantastic sharing opportunities for others to see. The storyboard will stand as an animation informing us ‘we all want to feel accepted and feel safe’ the location will be held in a busy city, where we notice a homeless person holding a sign as people go on about their day walking past him, the short film will inspire the viewer to realize we all want to feel a sense of belonging, in places we are, the people we meet and the feelings we feel inside, ending with the campaign name Belong to Care.

Overall, with these findings and insights I believe this campaign will enable Airbnb to empower their existing community to grow this idea of ‘belonging’ out to a new audience. Recognizing that brand experiences speak louder than advertisements. The campaign will recognize the current economic problem and help bring in a solution to combat homelessness, with these means, we aim to encourage other hotels and more community marketplace’s to support and participate this movement in the future, and generate more people to use the service.

REFERENCES BORCHARD, T. J. (2014) How Giving Makes Us Happy, Psych central. How Giving Makes Us Happy. Available at: http:// psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/12/22/how-giving-makes-us-happy/ (Accessed: 6 January 2015). Botsman, R. and Rogers, R. (2010) What’s mine is yours: the rise of collaborative consumption. HarperCollins Publishers. P.g9 Brodie, T. (2013) ‘Homeless’ Airbnb co-founder leads by example Add to ..., The globe and mail. 2013-03-15 11:35:47 EDT. Available at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-tools/small-business-briefing/homeless-airbnb-co-founder-leads-by-example/article9714358/ (Accessed: 5 January 2015). Carter, M. (no date b) D&AD Creativity works. How advertising and design can power up business. London. P.g 22 Gobé, M. (2006) Brandjam: Humanizing Brands Through Emotional Design. United Kingdom: Design Management Institute. P.g 129 Jefferson, A. and Lickorish, L. (1989) Marketing Tourism: A Practical Guide (Longman/ILAM Leisure Management). United Kingdom: Financial Times Prentice Hall. P.g. 21 O’flanagan, D. (2014) The Future of Personalized Marketing In Travel. Oates, G. (no date) Executive Summary, Skift Reports. The Future of Conventions. Available at: http://products.skift. com/trend/the-future-of-conventions/ (Accessed: 6 January 2015). Osenton, T. (2002) Customer Share Marketing: How the World’s Great Marketers Unlock Profits from Customer Loyalty. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Financial Times/ Prentice Hall. P.g 129 Reisinger, P. Y., Turner, L. and Reisinger, Y. (2003) Cross-cultural behaviour in tourism concepts and analysis. United States: Butterworth-Heinemann. p.g.39 Sullivan, L. (1998) ‘Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This!’: A Guide to Creating Great Ads. New York: John Wiley & Sons. P.g 79 Travis, D. (2000) Emotional Branding: How Successful Brands Gain the Irrational Edge. Roseville, Calif: Prima Pub, Westminster, Maryland, U.S.A. p.g182 Yvette Reisinger and Lindsay Turner. (2003) Cross-cultural behaviour in tourism concepts and analysis. Butterworth-Heinemann. P.g.39

Total word count :2572 FASH20031 / Communication and Message Charlotte Yau / N0499599 Big idea and creative concept Airbnb

BIBLIOGRAPHY Farr, C. (2014) Google Is Donating $2 Million To San Francisco Homeless Groups, Business Insider UK. Google Is Donating $2 Million To San Francisco Homeless Groups. Available at: http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-google-to-donate-2million-to-san-francisco-homeless-groups-2014-12 (Accessed: 3 January 2015). Filimon, J. (2012) ‘Belonging - Short Film (Screen It 2012 Competition)’. Belonging - Short Film (Screen It 2012 Competition). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeB6uxu57ss (Accessed: 15 December 2014). Menaul, C. (2004) Belonging. Belonging (TV Movie 2004). Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0412046/ (Accessed: 2 January 2015). Uber and Airbnb’s incredible growth in 4 charts (2014) Ferenstein, G. VB news. Uber and Airbnb’s incredible growth in 4 charts. Available at: http://venturebeat.com/2014/06/19/uber-and-airbnbs-incredible-growth-in-4-charts/ (Accessed: 5 January 2015). Smith, J. and Giang, V. (2014) ‘15 Rich And Famous People Who Were Once Homeless’, Business Insider. Business Insider. Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/rich-and-famous-people-who-were-homeless-2014-8?op=1 (Accessed: 3 January 2015). (no date) Impact of homelessness, Homeless Link. Impact of homelessness. Available at: http://www.homeless.org. uk/facts/understanding-homelessness/impact-of-homelessness (Accessed: 9 January 2015). Bolton, L. (2011) Baskets and belongingIndigenous Australian histories, N/A The British Museum. Baskets and belonging: Indigenous Australian histories. Available at: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/future_exhibitions/ baskets_and_belonging.aspx (Accessed: 2 January 2015). 05/17/2012 (2012) Al Etmanski, Unknown. Belonging a 21st Century Challenge - Al Etmanski. Available at: http:// www.aletmanski.com/al-etmanski/2012/05/belonging-a-21st-century-challenge.html (Accessed: 15 December 2014). Belonging (2012) Patrick Murphy Studio. Belonging : Patrick Murphy Studio. Available at: http://www.patrickmurphystudio.co.uk/index.php?/works/belonging/ (Accessed: 15 December 2014).

VISUAL INSPIRATION

Colour scheme and look books inspiration, used for report layout. Airbnb animated video clip for moodboard design. Current and past social movements used for Homeless creative idea. layout position for consumer profile

APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE NAME : NINA PATEL AGE : 21 LOCATION : LONDON FAVOURITE PLACE : THE BEACH HOBBIES : TRAVELLING, READING, PHOTOGRAPHY AND WRITING. SOCIAL MEDIA MUSTS: INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND MU TUMBLR

CREATIVE

EXPRESSIVE

CARING

CONSUMER PROFILE

CONFIDENT

CULTURED

APPENDIX 2

SWOT ANALYSIS

Story board

APPENDIX 3

CAMPAIGN AND EXHIBITIONS A sense of belonging The exhibition explores refugees' and asylum seekers' views on the theme of belonging Refugees and asylum seekers in the East Midlands created the artworks using film, sculpture, textiles, painting, photography, music and performance The exhibition reflects the journeys people make to reach freedom - both physically and emotionally. The artworks also consider what makes people feel a sense of belonging. The projects were led by Loughborough University and four community arts organisations The Sense of Belonging exhibition is part of a larger project, Beyond Borders: Making Connections, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council knowledge transfer scheme. The Sense of Belonging exhibition was showcased in the Bonington Gallery, Nottingham Trent University, The Guardian Communities Tuesday 13 January 2009

TOURISM REPORT

AIRBNB, INC IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM (WORLD) September 2014

CONSUMER PROFILE NAME: Stella Ward AGE : 28 LOCATION : Oxfordshire OCCUPATION : Photographer COSTS (INCOME) : 24K Hobbies : Crafts, Graphic designing, Baking, Reading Interests : Travelling, Walking / Exploring, Art, Theatre Likes : Cooking, Exploring food culture, Meeting new people, Dancing and Writing Dislikes : Bad service in restaurants, Traffic, Instructions / directions, Laziness, T ight clothing Social Media : Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ and Twitter

Once the trip starts, I keep boarding passes, business cards, postcards, café napkins—pretty much anything that's flat and has something to do with the location I’m in—and tape them down as I go. I aim to document daily—sometimes it’s several days before I get to doing it, but I try to do it, even at breakfast, even just a couple of sentences while the memories are fresh in my brain. Business cards, coasters, menus, brochures...it all goes in here.

APPENDIX 3

TOURISM REPORT

AIRBNB, INC IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM (WORLD) September 2014

BELONG TO CARE