BACKGROUND:
Airbnb offers over 2 million homes globally with an online accommodation-sharing platform that relies on strangers trusting each other. While that is a feat in itself, aggressive travel and accommodation options had intensified the market in Asia with more noise and clutter – reinforcing the conventional travel of packed tourist destinations and flashing cameras that Airbnb fights against.
While the previous campaign for Airbnb increased awareness for the brand, few Asians really understood what the inherent value of an Airbnb experience was. The challenge was to create a story of a truly authentic Airbnb experience. To captivate audiences so that they would journey with the brand, and be immersed in a narrative that could demonstrate what makes Airbnb different. We wanted people to not just know about Airbnb, but understand that when they travel with Airbnb they actually experience life just like a local.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Despite having over 2,000,000 listings in more than 34,000 cities globally, awareness of what Airbnb offers remained largely unknown in its primary market, Asia. We needed to inform and educate our Asian audience that with Airbnb, they get an authentic travel experience. Also, sharing a home with a stranger or living in a stranger’s home keeps Asians away from trying out Airbnb.
To ease this tension, we chose to tell the story of a solo female traveler who steers clear from the touristy areas of Paris and discovers the local side to the city. A solo female traveler showed the safety with which one can discover a city with Airbnb.
Also, with suggestions from her Airbnb host she finds herself surrounded by locals and local hideaways further driving home the point of Airbnb hosts helping travelers discover parts of the city not found in travel guidebooks.
IDEA:
As you travel away from popular tourist attractions, you’ll discover a different side to the city. You’ll find opportunities to interact with locals and live just like one. We decided to tell this story through the journey of a solo female traveler in Paris. She travels away from the touristy spot of the Eiffel Tower, and with suggestions from her local host, discovers a different side to Paris, filled with locals and local favourites. Her memories of Paris are seen through an animated world set entirely on a Zoetrope.
EXECUTION:
Built from the ground up, within 3 weeks, by a 16-member crew of specialty craftsmen and women, the zoetrope was a massive undertaking. Measuring 3.8 meters in diameter, 11.9 meters in circumference and 1.5 meters in height, the 3D zoetrope was a first-of-its-kind build with an enormous 11,256 moving parts. The most complicated build was the carousel layer, with 111 parts making up each section. All of the environments on the zoetrope were inspired from local Parisian hideaways that our lead production designer created based on her personal experiences from Paris. The flea market, the courtyard with the carousel and even the underground bar are actual Parisian favourites. Each character, table, chair, and even the 2mm dog near the carousel, were hand painted with immaculate attention to detail. We wanted to create a world that’s whimsical but also feels real.