INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS: ALL-IN

Advertising

Pop culture and advertising are continually increasing the representation and the roles of identities once considered abnormal. As a result, advertising has become a space where brands who are seeking to align themselves with a progressive future can explore new representations of diversity, sexual orientation and gender. This is evidenced through Airbnb showing their commitment to representing homosexual couples in their campaign. In ‘Love is Welcome Here’, Airbnb invited LGBT couples to share the times when they have felt alienated or threatened while travelling and then asked their hosts to be more accepting (Walker, Buchanan, Stott, 2015).

This was a huge step on Airbnb’s behalf of showing their commitment and respect for the LGTBQ+ community. For such a successful company to use their resources to create a documentary about the travel stories of LGBT couples and campaign it did not only disrupt the travel industry but revolutionised the global industry in terms of setting the standard of what consumers expect from brands. Being diverse and inclusive is no longer seen as a niche marketing strategy to win over minority groups, it is now a way of life and it is expected for brands to adapt and implement this trend into the heart of their business model. Furthermore, it has exposed LGBT couple’s real life experiences to the public, educating others and reminding them that this community deserves just as much respect as they do. P.g.26