TBWA, Airbnb Think You Should Trust Other People

Investor-friendly travel startup Airbnb named TBWA its first lead creative agency last September after working with Pereira & O’Dell (which the company said would remain on its roster) on earlier campaigns.

TBWA’s L.A. team led the pitch, and recent projects by its offices around the world have been less traditional than one might expect: TBWA Singapore created a CGI-free doll house experience and the agency’s London office floated a retro houseboat down the Thames to promote the “sharing economy” client.

Airbnb’s latest ad “Is Mankind?”, which debuted today, positions the travel experience as a metaphorical window into the lives lived by every person who isn’t you:

The company elaborates on the concept in a blog post, writing:

“What if we could explore the world with the fearlessness of a child? As children, we’re all fearless explorers. What if we could recapture that magic of adventure and sense of being at home anywhere?

…Kindness is the foundation of our entire community – Airbnb hosts aren’t just sharing their homes, they’re sharing part of themselves. When guests open their doors, they’re opening their hearts and minds as well.”

Is this how most people see Airbnb? From the press release:

“Through this campaign, Airbnb aims to encourage people to Belong Anywhere through a relevant culture conversation, and it will harness Airbnb’s philosophy that humans are born kind and open to their fellow man, which enables wonderful experiences.”

In other words, don’t be afraid to stay in someone else’s house; you might even allow them to stay in yours.

The new work is an extension of the “Belong Anywhere” campaign that started with April’s “Never a Stranger,” TBWA L.A.’s first ad for its new client:

It’s a gradual way to make consumers more comfortable with the oddest element of the Airbnb equation: an intimate proximity to the lives and possessions of people you will never really know. It also downplays the fears of “sharing economy” newbies without addressing them directly.

Before releasing the new ad to the public, the company got a bit more specific on Twitter this morning:

Some felt that these messages hit a bit too close to home:

@Airbnb this campaign is creepin us out

— Jalbert Productions (@JalbertFilms) July 14, 2015

Twitter hot takes aside, subletting someone else’s apartment for a week is still more comfortable–and, most importantly, cheaper–than staying in a hotel. That, rather than the human race’s endless generosity, is why Airbnb has been so successful to date.

An extended minute-long version of this ad will run during tomorrow’s ESPY Awards.