MCS 355
Reflection #3
3/7/17
Airbnb: "Don't Go There, Live There"
When you travel, you think about the location, things to do and most importantly, where you will stay. However, most hotels that people turn to offer the same cookie cutter hotel rooms, with carpet on the floors, an uncomfortable bed along with feeling like a guest. The company Airbnb is challenging the original travel experience, as they state on their website their mission is to "connect people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 65,000 cities and 191 countries".As a hospitality service, Airbnb provides people with the ability to list or rent vacation homes, lodging, rooms, hotels, and apartments.
A specific marketing campaign that exceptionally utilizes social media is Airbnb's campaign "#Livethere". In 2016, Airbnb launched the "#livethere" social media campaign with a video put out on the social media platform, Facebook. Their campaign video (which can be seen above) received over 11 million views on Facebook. This was only the start of their campaign. Airbnb made use of the social media platform, Instagram, to connect with their followers. On their Instagram, Airbnb strategically posts professional pictures showing followers what their travel experience could be. This allowed followers to have an image of what their travel experience could be like, and instead of feeling like a tourist or guest, you could feel at home and experience all that a place has to offer. The purpose of Airbnb's social media campaign was to show people that they can have a unique travel experience while feeling at home anywhere they go. By utilizing two of the major social media platforms that favor videos and photos, Airbnb does an excellent job of giving their followers visuals of what traveling should look like. Especially with a travel service, it is important to give customers an image of where they could stay, because that it the most important part of traveling. Not only do the amazing images of vacation spots draw in an audience, but the personalization of their messages. With each Instagram caption, they give a description of the picture as if they are talking directly to the person reading it. They also repost images of other users that are utilizing an Airbnb.
Airbnb's "Live There" campaign makes use of Kaplan points of being social on social media. Some of which include being active and interesting. Airbnb is constantly posting fresh content while engaging users, such as reposting a users Instagram image or simply uploading an image of an Airbnb from places around the world. With their "Live There" campaign they allow users to be interested in the idea of what their traveling experience could be. Another way to engage with followers is to be unprofessional. Airbnb's post give customers a down to earth vibe, while telling a story that followers can connect with on a personal level through their posts. Although Airbnb offers amazing places to stay such as castles or high rises, they are still humble through their concept of living like a local, instead of acting like a tourist.They are also honest, which can be seen through images of places you can stay with Airbnb, and although these some of these images look unreal, this is reality of what Airbnb can offer.
Works Cited:
Kaplan, Andreas M., “Users of the World, Unite! The Challenges and Opportunities of Social Media,” Business Horizons (2010) 59-64.
"About Us." About Us - Airbnb. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Mar. 2017. <https://www.airbnb.com/about/about-us>.
No comments:
Post a Comment