Why Airbnb is Missing Out by not Targeting Younger Generations (Airbnb Whims Pt. 3)
If you have seen my previous posts, you might know where I am heading with this one. Two months ago I randomly asked my five college roommates if we could host our apartment on Airbnb. Too my tremendous surprise, none of them had heard of Airbnb. We are experiencing the prime of our lives amidst the uprising of the sharing economy, and not one of these five young, excited, aspiring travelers had even heard of this global company. Airbnb had spread to 190+ countries and had gone completely unnoticed by what I see as the perfect Airbnb customers. What is wrong with this picture?
Who is going to be more open to the idea of sleeping in another person’s bed: a 21-year-old college student or our grandparents? I know this is speaking in generalities but it is true the younger generations are much more tolerant of a lack of privacy. We have grown up with our whole adolescent lives documented — whether via digital photos, Facebook, or Snapchat stories — and with that change we have become as a whole more accustomed to the loss of privacy that comes with it. Airbnb is in a prime position to capitalize on this attitude shift.
It is obvious that Airbnb’s current attention is on the middle-aged working class by their recent announcement of “Business Travel Ready” bookings and by the people portrayed on their TV commercials and website landing page. It is true that this segment has more disposable income and may be looking for vacation stays, but there is huge potential being missed by not targeting Generation Y.
Beyond everything else Airbnb is selling, new experiences, belonging, comfort in a new city, they also offer just a more economical place to stay. This is what the younger generations are after, and this is how they can be targeted. Bring back “a cheaper alternative to hotels” (an old Airbnb tagline) but keep it targeted towards younger generation where that value will resonate above all else. Besides reaching new customers, hooking Millennials now could turn avid guests into future hosts — and the cycle continues.
The next question is: how. The right strategy is to market where our attention is, so it was good to see Airbnb starting to push their presence on Snapchat. However, they are not utilizing the platform — their marketing strategy does not align with the Snapchat viewers and it doesn’t even align with the core values of Airbnb — it doesn’t spread human connection or belonging.
So far Airbnb’s Snapchat story has consisted of snippets from a trip to Hawaii and the sadly shortened Airbnb Open in Paris. The key piece that is missing is people! Human connection is crucial to their platform, yet there is little to none displayed in their Snapchat marketing efforts, even though human connection is facilitated relatively well through Snapchat.
Why not have a person host virtual trips and relay the experiences onto us, almost as a tour guide? Putting a person in front of the camera, maybe as the face(s) of the brand will add a personal touch that will not only align better with Airbnb’s message but will give something for viewers to engage with besides contrived photos. Having an actual Airbnb host guest-Snapchat and walk the viewers through their home, or tell a story from their experiences could be just what a lurker needs to feel comfortable making that first Airbnb booking. In short:
Host.
As one of Airbnb’s six core values, that single word says a lot. It is crucial that their marketing strategy is created with that meaning in mind.
