As first reported by Adweek yesterday, Airbnb has launched its first global creative review since 2014. This means the world’s second most value “startup” will part ways with TBWA\Chiat\Day, which has handled the account since that September.
According to Kantar Media, Airbnb spend approximately $65 million on measured media domestically last year.
TBWA\Chiat\Day’s work for Airbnb included a “Belong Anywhere” campaign in 2015, an OOH campaign that angered San Francisco residents, a tie-in with Disney’s live action/CGI Jungle Book and last year’s “Live There” campaign calling on viewers to stop traveling like tourists.
“We are proud of the marketing programs we have developed together with Chiat over the last three years, including the global Live There brand platform,” Airbnb CMO Jonathan Mildenhall told Adweek. “This platform helped Airbnb reach even more people and bring them into the Airbnb community.”
“As a global hospitality company at a pivotal moment in our trajectory, we are seeking a partner agency that takes us closer to unlocking the creativity of our community, in which content and product are inextricably linked,” he added. “We are engaged in a global pitch, inviting the participation of a handful of diverse agencies to identify this new partner that will help us achieve our next phase of phenomenal growth.”
Does that sound like crowdsourcing to you guys? Sounds like crowdsourcing to us.
Airbnb hinted at such an approach this past September, when it turned to content-sourcing company MoFilm for its “Airbnb Holiday Ideas Contest” soliciting concepts for a holiday campaign.
“Our partnership with Airbnb has been transformative,” a TBWA spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re proud of the body of work we’ve created over the past three years, especially the ‘Live There’ global campaign, adding another iconic brand platform to an illustrious list that includes Apple’s ‘Think Different,’ Gatorade’s ‘Win From Within,’ and Adidas’ ‘Impossible Is Nothing.’ We’re also proud to have helped drive Airbnb’s evolution from a remarkable challenger business to a leading global brand during our partnership. We wish them continued success.”