Airbnb Brooklyn
Challenge
Founded in 2008, Airbnb has created a marketplace that connects more the 60 million people around the world, and has reinvented the travel experience. The brand has pushed the boundaries of the traditional hospitality industry and emerged as an idea of how humans connect.
We’ve worked closely with Airbnb for years, and worked on campaigns that bring a flexible approach to different audiences, in different areas, at different times, including Brooklyn, Hong Kong & Hawaii.
When Airbnb partnered with the New York City Marathon it presented a unique opportunity to speak to New York and boroughs in a way that felt native the city, and unite runners, locals and the Airbnb community.
Solution
We created a brand system that extended to the NYC Marathon as well as the Brooklyn Half Marathon — a weekend event to prove that Airbnb had a real stake in the boroughs. Situated in idyllic Brooklyn Bridge Park, the space we designed offered the best of New York, coupling Brooklyn charm with panoramic views of Manhattan. Visitors were encouraged to socialize, pick up their bibs, store their belongings, and enjoy a variety of food, beverages, and music — all supplied by their neighbors at Airbnb.
To promote the Marathon we created a brand system that extended to the NYC Marathon as well as the Brooklyn Half featuring a humorous campaign that rolled out across OOH, digital and social. The campaign spurred the creation of the Béloman - the Airbnb mascot based on the Bélo logo - running the marathon as any self-respecting New Yorker would, chasing a slice of pizza. We included an old-school telephone hotline that people could call to get local Airbnb tips and recommendations, encouraging participation with our tagline “Run into the Best of Brooklyn.”
Results
It culminated in a weekend event to prove that Airbnb had a real stake in the boroughs. Situated in idyllic Brooklyn Bridge Park, the space we designed offered the best of New York, coupling Brooklyn charm with panoramic views of Manhattan. Visitors were encouraged to socialize, pick up their bibs, store their belongings, and enjoy a variety of food, beverages, and music — all supplied by their neighbors at Airbnb.
Attendance exceeded expectations, with 10,000+ people attending throughout the weekend. Brooklyn is becoming one of Airbnb’s most popular destinations.
Team
- Matt Luckhurst
- Christian Widlic
- Joanna Hobson
- Jenny Yau
- Dark Igloo
- Brandon Land
- Animade
- Nicolo Bianchino
- Airbnb Team
- Hewn Bros