Victoria King
Contents About AirBnb Secondary Research Primary Research Victoria King N0501013 Word Count: 2,403
Consumer Profiles What Is Belonging? The Big Idea Creative Concept and Visual Inspiration Campaign Outputs Research Methodology Appendix
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About AirBnb
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AirBnb was founded by Nathan Blecharczyk, Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky in August 2008 and is based in San Francisco, California. It is an online version of a travel agency with a twist; instead of people staying in the usual hotels or hostels, AirBnb allows people to stay in exclusive rooms or apartments that people all around the world are renting out to holiday go-ers; whether it be a flat for the night, a castle for a week or a villa for a month. AirBnb has it all; ‘from the cheap and cheerful - a one-bedroom flat in Paris near the Eiffel Tower from £35 per night – to deluxe, such as a five-bedroom 11th-century manor house in Surrey for £1,470 per night, or a three-bedroom deluxe villa in Bali with swimming-pool for £328 per night’ – it doesn’t miss any price points or opportunities! AirBnb is a “trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover and book unique accommodation around the world” and is home to over 1, 000,000 listings in 34, 000 cities in over 190 countries and accommodates over 25, 000, 000 guests to help find their picture-perfect holiday with the perfect place to stay, and manages to connect people to unique travel experiences all around the globe.
Secondary Research
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Whilst researching AirBnb, I read many articles and reviews about the company and found that ‘it is now so popular that every two seconds someone books an AirBnb room.’ This is a ‘testament to the growing popularity of ‘collaborative consumption’ – sharing, swapping and renting your possessions.’ AirBnb is a ‘company that at its core is based on sharing’ and it achieves this very well, with many of its consumers commenting on the fact that the sharing community is not only an excellent way of meeting new people and becoming a part of a society, but according to Chesky its also a very ‘personal, meaningful experience’. ‘We’re helping people be more resourceful with the space they already have and we’re connecting people around the world. We can see ourselves doing this for a decade to come – a generation.’ Gebbia. This idea is exactly what I am hoping to take forward; connecting people around the world, and the fact that going abroad isn’t just for the well off, it is an experience that we should all have and share, no matter how old or young you are. Many consumers also commented on the benefits of using AirBnb instead of an ordinary hotel or hostel; for example, Carole Cadwalladr stated that she loved “being in a proper place and not having to rely on Starbucks for a coffee. I love making myself a boring non-hotel breakfast. I hire a bike and scoot around the city as if I live there”. And this is how people should feel whilst abroad, they should feel as though they fit in with their surroundings and AirBnb make them feel as comfortable and as welcome as they possibly can. Furthermore, my research also lead me to find that many people chose to stay in AirBnb accommodation over the majority of its competitors, including big named hotel brands such as Hilton or Marriott, as the average consumer finds these places a lot more pricey and feel that you are able to get a better experience and better value for money over the listings shown on the AirBnb website.
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Primary Research To start my primary research I conducted an online survey, which was made up of 10 questions, asking people about their travel experience, about their knowledge of AirBnb, and about what belonging means to them. My results showed that the majority of respondents (59%) loved to travel and did so often, with the usual length of travel being 1-2 weeks at a time and usually for exploration purposes and to see the world and experience many new opportunities and cultures. Furthermore, when asked if they would consider using shared accommodation a high 69% of respondents answered yes, with many of the respondents liking the idea of cheaper accommodation and the chance to meet new people, which indicates that they would be interested in using AirBnb’s services. I also went out and questioned a variety of people on the street, focusing mainly on the younger target market, as this target group was more approachable and more willing to answer my questions. When asked if a sense of belonging was important to them whilst abroad, 12 out of the 14 questioned said it was a key factor, as you want to feel accepted and welcomed whilst you’re on holiday. However, I found that of all the people I asked, those aged 18-25 had never heard of AirBnb before, but 8/9 of the interviewees this age would love to go travelling in the near future, which may bring more demand for the low cost which AirBnb provides.
Consumer Profiles
Lucy is a 24-year-old fine arts student from Bristol who had a gap year before coming to university but wants to have another one when she leaves, as she loved the experience so much. Lucy has never heard of AirBnb but is hoping to look into it in the future and hopefully use it for some of her travels as she feels it will be cheaper and a way to meet new people, as she will be travelling alone.
Louis is a 21-year-old media student from Birmingham who is currently in his last year at Nottingham University studying English. He is looking to go travelling for 6 months once he has finished university, hopefully to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and LA. Louis has never used AirBnb before but would be interested in using it in the future after hearing about what it has to offer as he is a huge fan of adventure and meeting new people. He also wants to join the surf squad whilst in Australia and is looking forward to a break from studying.
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Meryl is a 46-year-old practise nurse from Nottingham and hasn’t used AirBnb before but know people that have and have highly recommended it. She is looking into going away with her husband for their 25th wedding anniversary and will be interested in trying out AirBnb for that as Meryl likes the idea of having a host who can provide her with details as to the best places to go and give her any advice and help she needs whilst abroad.
What Is Belonging? Belonging can mean a variety of different things to different people; there is no underlying definition. However from my research I found that to the majority of people who responded to my survey, 31% of people felt that comfort was the main factor when wanting to feel a sense of belonging whilst travelling. This was closely followed by wanting to feel a sense of community (23%) and wanting to have a feeling of acceptance (19%).
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69% of respondents feel it is important to have a sense of belonging whilst travelling; this is where AirBnb come in as they continue to celebrate their sense of belonging and community and pass it on to their consumers through travel. They do this by offering their consumers the best unique experiences at affordable prices, which allows the consumers to be put at ease and help them find a sense of this belonging wherever they are in the world through different memories and experiences. These feelings of belonging is what makes or breaks some peoples travelling experiences, as if a person is made to feel unwelcomed whilst abroad it will be sure to ruin their holiday and may mean that they wont return to that country again; having a sense of belonging, whether it be a friendly host, an enthusiastic tour guide or a communal group, it can really put the holiday go-er at ease and make their holiday that little bit more special.
The Big Idea From my research I found that the majority of people questioned and respondents were aged 19-25 and the majority of them had never used AirBnb before, and even more people had never heard of it; this shows that there is a lack of knowledge about the company within that age range. However, when asked if they would consider using shared accommodation whilst travelling 68% of respondents answered yes, meaning that many people would be interested in the idea of using AirBnb, but just aren’t aware of it. Furthermore, whilst doing my research I found that AirBnb have ‘got more people aged 55 and over on the site than those aged 18-25, who only make up seven per cent of the site,’ according to Chesky, CEO of AirBnb. Therefore my idea is to combine a sense of belonging whilst travelling with an advertisement campaign targeted at the younger audience, so that more people are informed about AirBnb and the sense of belonging and companionship it has to offer, whilst also drawing the attention of new consumers that will be able to share this experience and community with those already existing consumers.
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As many of my interviewees between the ages of 18-25 were considering going travelling in the near future, mostly after they have finished university, I decided to incorporate this factor into my campaign. I believe that many students want to experience the world but maybe don’t want to do so by themselves, Therefore, I feel that if AirBnb were to pick out specific types of accommodations and select the cheapest and most suitable for travelling and meeting new people from around the world, it would get high levels of demand. The website could even include what AirBnb believes are the most popular countries to visit and could give travellers a set guide as to where to go: from short 1 month adventures, to 12 month gap year experiences – AirBnb could advise and handpick accordingly which places would be best for you. And the best thing about this is that it will be a set ‘travellers experience’ so you will be likely to meet many people doing the same thing along the way, or you could even start and end the whole trip together as a group. As ‘anyone, anywhere in the world, can list spare space (from a room to a treehouse, castle, or even a Fijian island) on the website and rent it out to travellers’, they will be sure to find culture and new experiences along their journey. I have taken inspiration from places such as Real Gap, and Projects- Abroad, two gap year agencies and combined them with the freedom of travelling alone, as travelling with AirBnb will be twice as good as doing a gap year programme as you wont be on a set plan of things you have to do and places you have to stay for certain periods of time, like you tend to be with gap year programmes. AirBnb will just provide you with help and tips as to where to go and recommend places to stay but you will still have the freedom of if you’d travelled alone; you will not be tied down to anything. Figure 15
I therefore aim to demonstrate belonging though the use of a print campaign and a video to inspire people, mainly targeted at 18-25 year olds, to explore the world and travel and become a part of the community of people that is doing so, and doing so comfortably and uniquely through the use of AirBnb.
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Creative Concept and Visual Inspiration For my visual campaign I am going to use some juxtaposition; combining a sense of travelling and exploring the big wide world, with the feeling of being at home every step of the way. I have taken inspiration from Pinterest, a variety of different travel magazines and from many different travel agencies to find the best way to promote my idea. I intend to focus mainly on the 18-25 target market as my concept is based around the idea of gap years with a twist and finding a home away from home, however it will also be applicable to many other age ranges as travel has no limit, and the beauty of having a sense of belonging whilst travelling is that you should feel as though you are at home.
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Campaign Outputs
explore the world feeling at home every step of the way
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I have created a mock up of my print campaign for AirBnb as you can see on the facing page. For my campaign I decided to do a print advertisement, which I have chosen to keep the advert very simplistic as I feel that will grab the viewers attention more by focusing on the beauty of the place. I also feel that different places around the world could be used to keep the sense of travel and exploration and have a group of people in the image to keep the sense of belonging. I chose the slogan ‘explore the world, feeling at home every step of the way’ as I feel this is very simplistic but also to the point, and people will look more into AirBnb through this. I also feel the contrast between the background photo and the text worked well as it makes the message stand out, and the vibrant colours also reflect a sense of adventure and fun. I have also focused mainly on the travelling sense through the image and the belonging sense in the words as the image is the thing that will first capture the viewers attention, and the viewer will only be interested in reading what it says and looking into AirBnb if they are interested in travelling in the first place; therefore the image is to capture those who will be interested in using AirBnb.
Video Advertisement Mock- Ups I also am going to create a short video advertisement to promote more about what the brand has to offer and what the consumer will gain if they join and use AirBnb. My advertisement storyboard (as seen opposite) is an outline of what will occur in the video. The aim is to create a sense of belonging - hence the groups of friends and welcoming host - and also to advertise the services and experiences that AirBnb provides.
Illustrations Images 1 - 5 - https://www.airbnb.co.uk Image 6 - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9525267/AirbnbThe-story-behind-the-1.3bn-room-letting-website.html Image 7 - http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/sep/16/airbnb-travel-revolution Images 8-10 - own images Image 11- http://www.pinterest.com/pin/123637952241945851/ Image 12 - http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/talent-communities-do-recruiters-get-it Image 13- http://www.pinterest.com/pin/208221182741420259/ Image 14 - http://www.artofmanliness.com/2011/07/22/ultra-backpacking-adventure/ Image 15 - http://galleryhip.com/i-want-to-travel-the-world-tumblr.html Image 16 - http://galleryhip.com/i-want-to-travel-the-world-tumblr.html Image 17 - http://www.realgap.co.uk Image 18 - own image
Bibliography https://www.airbnb.co.uk http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9525267/Airbnb-The-story-behind-the-1.3bn-room-letting-website.html http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomiogeron/2013/01/23/airbnb-and-theunstoppable-rise-of-the-share-economy/ http://www.wired.com/2014/04/trust-in-the-share-economy/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airbnb http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/sep/16/airbnb-travel-revolution http://www.vogue.com/965541/airbnb-one-fine-stay-sharing-economy/ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/opinion/sunday/friedman-welcome-to-the-sharing-economy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2& http://nymag.com/news/features/airbnb-in-new-york-debate-2014-9/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/24/ AR2009072401682.html?sid=ST2009072402126 http://fortune.com/2012/05/03/airbnb-more-than-a-place-to-crash/ http://www.realgap.co.uk http://www.projects-abroad.co.uk/?mh_keyword=gap%20year%20programs&gclid=CJDq1aGPjMMCFcPJtAodTjQAlg
References The Washington Post (26th July 2009). “Booking a Bed Through Airbnb”. Last accessed 9th January 2015 Jessica Salter. (2012). Airbnb: The story behind the $1.3bn room-letting website. Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9525267/ Airbnb-The-story-behind-the-1.3bn-room-letting-website.html. Last accessed 10th Janurary 2015. Carole Cadwalladr. (2013). Airbnb: the travel revolution in our spare rooms. Available: http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/sep/16/airbnb-travel-revolution. Last accessed 9th January 2015. Thomas L Friedman. (2013). Welcome to the ‘Sharing Economy’. Available: http://www. nytimes.com/2013/07/21/opinion/sunday/friedman-welcome-to-the-sharing-economy. html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&. Last accessed 10th January 2015. Rebecca Johnson. (2014). How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Airbnb Economy. Available: http://www.vogue.com/965541/airbnb-one-fine-stay-sharing-economy/. Last accessed 10th January 2015.
Appendix
Thses are a few examples of the responses I got to my questions.