The Rise of Airbnb: How a Simple Idea Transformed Travel

In our Brand Story series, we throw light on the narrative surrounding a brand that we venerate. Today, we'll look at Airbnb, an international online accommodation platform.

Brand: Airbnb

Industry: Lodging

Product: Online accommodation and experience platform

Founders: Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk

Year founded: 2008

The mission of the brand: To provide travellers with authentic experiences and foster a sense of belonging anywhere in a community of like-minded individuals.

Airbnb is an immensely popular brand, and we are all familiar with its craze. But do you know the story behind it and the storytelling lessons and tools we ought to steal (...with pride, though!) from it?

Let's get into the gripping brand story narrative of Airbnb!

Airbnb began with a few broke students and an air mattress.When they were in college, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk rented out a mattress on their floor to strangers to help pay their bills. It's such a pride for them that Airbnb is now valued at $30 billion, isn't it? That's a fairly good story; for starters, it's every business founder's fantasy. However, after five years in operation, Airbnb understood that this story no longer accurately represents their brand.

Finding their true calling!

In late 2013, Airbnb's co-founders, with the assistance of Douglas Atkin, their new community officer, decided to look for their story. Airbnb had originally positioned itself as a service offering tourists homes rather than merely lodging. They produced a series of movies centred on birdhouses called 'Birdbnb.' This marketing failed to effectively portray the sense of community that had formed from the platform. People who were using Airbnb at the time were passionate about it and open about it. Airbnb recognised that they would find their story within the community they had built. Airbnb interviewed around 500 people from all over the world who utilised the platform as hosts and holidaymakers. Throughout these interactions, one word came up repeatedly: belonging.

The basic concept of 'belonging' became the centrepiece of Airbnb's marketing story.The company now had a mission: to build a society in which people can 'belong anywhere.' 'Belong Anywhere' became Airbnb's official phrase, inspiring the construction of its new logo and brand story.

Hello, Bélo.

They aimed to produce a symbol that could be replicated easily and instantly recognised. They also wanted the new logo to be instantly associated with what the company stood for and what it meant to be a member of the Airbnb community. This resulted in the development of the 'Bélo' (pronounced bay low). This symbol was created to reflect the people, places, and love that exist in the Airbnb community and the company itself. Airbnb unveiled its new mission statement to the world in 2014, along with the updated Airbnb site and app and the Bélo. They expressed their vision for a world where anyone can belong anywhere, and the new Airbnb story could begin.

Since introducing the Bélo, Airbnb has embraced the message of belonging. As a brand, they have promoted messages of acceptance, equality, and belonging. In 2017, they released the "Until We All Belong" video series, which focused on the topic of Australian marriage equality. Airbnb also provided free accommodation to those stranded due to President Trump's executive order in January 2017. This was hardly a first for Airbnb. They previously urged the site's hosts to list their properties for free to natural catastrophe sufferers.

Let's delve into their storytelling lessons:

Lesson 1- Keep People at Your Center When Airbnb went out to interview their users, they discovered something significant. No one could teach them more about Airbnb than the folks who use it on a daily basis. People are at the heart of the company, and Airbnb understands this. Interviews and chats with its users shaped the entire Airbnb story and brand as we know it today. Keeping your consumers at the centre of your business and learning from their experiences could be really beneficial in developing your own brand story.

Lesson 2- It's Not Too Late to Find Your Story Airbnb launched in 2008, but it wasn't until nearly 2014 that the firm understood it needed to identify its objective in order to continue growing and progressing. They set out to find the story they wanted to communicate about their company, and in the process, they built an instantly identifiable global brand. Airbnb demonstrates that there is always time for brands and organisations to discover their unique story.

Lesson 3- Content is the Key Airbnb is passionate about creating high-quality, visually attractive content. They routinely post on YouTube and their own blogs on their website. Their material is mainly user-generated and focuses on stories from the Airbnb community. People can engage with your brand when you post high-quality material on a consistent schedule. It is critical to develop material people want to read and watch; aesthetics play a significant role in this, and Airbnb has capitalised on this.Their content exceeded what is required of businesses today: they issued a magazine. Airbnbmag is a quarterly journal that seeks to be a staple on the coffee tables of hosts worldwide. The magazine consists of stories from the hosts, essays highlighting the beauty of more unknown locales, and stunning photos from around the world.

Let's delve into their storytelling tools now:

Strong Branding- Since its inception, Airbnb Bélo has become one of the world's most identifiable logos. This is what Airbnb hoped for from the start—the new logo needed to be simple to replicate while also capturing the various aspects of Airbnb.

The Bélo tells the company's story in a single symbol. The Bélo symbolises the company's core values of travel, belonging, and adventure. The colour scheme they utilise on their website, app, social media, and commercials is crucial to their branding approach. The strength of Airbnb's branding stems from the fact that it was designed and managed in such a way that it has become synonymous with all of the various experiences involved with an Airbnb trip.

User-Generated Content- Airbnb expands its brand story by using its large community of hosts and guests. Why not when you have a user base as passionate as Airbnb's?

Airbnb initially set up distinct pages to document user stories and experiences. Although the use of these has declined as the Airbnb community page has grown in popularity, Airbnb still has a vast amount of user-generated content to use on its social media channels. Airbnb frequently requests permission to use photos and videos shot by its users on its own social media platforms. It is fortunate in this since it provides a service that lends itself to photography.

Airbnb Open- Airbnb Open was initially advertised as Airbnb's global host event. It was an opportunity for the firm to recognise the hosts as an important component of their business. However, the Open is, first and foremost, an opportunity for Airbnb to share its story and test new ideas. This was demonstrated at the 2016 event when Airbnb introduced Trips.

Airbnb Trips enabled the company to transition from simply being a cheap alternative source of housing to specialising in providing travellers with once-in-a-lifetime experiences. The app and website now provide tailored excursions and experiences led by Airbnb hosts, in addition to accommodation. When co-founder Brian Chesky presented this notion at Airbnb Open 2016, he used personal images from his upbringing to illustrate what we search for when we travel. Airbnb Open enables the company to connect with its audience on a more personal level, both at the conference and afterward. It removes some facelessness that often affects tech companies and makes the company and its founders more approachable. The company's content created at these events is well-edited and highly shareable. Airbnb has recently announced new features, such as Airbnb Concerts, via Open. It is a vital tool for telling the company's story.

Here are some of the amazing captions that Airbnb users came up with while posting their incredible experiences:

Chasing sunsets and cosy nooks. This Airbnb spot is proof that the best things in life are the places we discover and the memories we create.

Each Airbnb has its own soul, and I think we just met the kindred spirit of ours.Here's to the homes that make us feel like we belong.

Checking into our Airbnb and out of reality. Here's to a weekend of relaxation and living in the moment.

Travel isn't always about where you go but where you stay. Grateful for this gem of a place that's as adventurous as we are.

Our cosy getaway spot! This Airbnb has us never wanting to leave.From morning coffee with a view to late-night laughs on the couch.

Woke up in a little piece of paradise.Who knew you could book heaven on an app?

Finding my home away from home, one Airbnb at a time. Here's to spaces that feel like they were waiting for me.

This is not just an Airbnb; it's the starting line for our adventure. Every corner tells a story, and we're here to write ours.

They say change your place, change your luck. This Airbnb must be my lucky charm, then! Feeling blessed and refreshed.

In the heart of the city but away from the hustle - found our perfect urban oasis thanks to Airbnb.Can't believe places like this exist!

Airbnb has proven that hospitality, generosity, and the simple act of trust between strangers can go a long way. Right?

We'll be back with another brand story. Stay tuned till then!