Airbnb addresses media negativity in ‘provocative’ global campaign
Airbnb is looking to address the cruelty reflected in the media through a new global campaign that suggests humans are born kind.
The “Is Mankind?” campaign will focus on the brand’s philosophy of kindness and encouraging people to “belong anywhere” through TV and online video spots created by TBWA/CHIAT/DAY and Starcom, digital and OOH activity as well as event sponsorship in the UK, US and Australia.
It is part of a larger “corporate mission to explore the kindness of man”, according to the brand, which says it will also conduct a survey throughout the summer looking at the role of media in the kindness and unkindness of humans.
“Is Mankind?” follows on from the brand’s first global campaign, “Never a Stranger”, which launched in April.
The TV spot focused on the hesitation people often feel towards staying in a stranger’s home, something the brand is trying to change by promoting the open and friendly nature of its hosts.
Last year the brand also launched a social campaign that aimed to turn strangers into friends and help people discover the advantages of new connections.
It gave $10 to 100,000 of its most engaged guests and hosts in hopes they would use the money as part of an act of kindness and document their experience using the hashtag #OneLessStranger.
Speaking with Marketing Week in December, Holly Clarke, EU marketing manager, said “More and more people are embracing the unique experience that staying in people’s homes can bring. There are still, however, negative connotations around the idea of “strangers” that we would like to break down.”
