Airbnb CMO says brands should acknowledge their uncomfortable truths in ads
Home rental service Airbnb’s chief marketing office Jonathan Mildenhall is aware of the fact that many people are uncomfortable with the idea of staying in a stranger’s house. But instead of brushing that truth under the rug, he said that the brand makes it a point to incorporate these concerns into its ads.
“As a marketer I think it’s really important to lean into the uncomfortable truth,” he told an audience of thousands at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando. “Why would you want to stay in someone else’s house? That’s a truthful thought that people have when they hear about Airbnb.”
He said injecting these criticisms into the brand’s ads is what makes it 21st century advertising, citing the example of a video it rolled out earlier in which the brand chose to feature a “single white female” as she leaves New York and embarks on a trip around the world.
“When I booked this trip my friends said I was crazy. Why would I stay in someone else’s house?” she states at the beginning of the ad. “But this morning, a city I’ve never been to felt like one I already knew.”
Mildenhall, who joined Airbnb last year from Coca-Cola, said as CMO he’s currently focusing on making people aware of the Airbnb brand and opening their minds to the thought of staying in someone else’s home.
During his presentation, he said that Airbnb has ambitions of becoming the next global superbrand that ranks with the likes of Apple, Starbucks, and Disney. To achieve that, he said that that creativity cannot be sacrificed and pointed to Apple’s iconic ads as a reason why the tech giant has remained one of the top companies of the past 20 years.
He also told marketers that investing in brand values is crucial when it comes to succeeding in today’s environment.
“The most significant thing that a 21st century brand must do is stand for something,” said Mildenhall. “Millennials are seeking out brands that share the same human values that they do.”
He pointed out Airbnb’s ‘Is Mankind?’ spot that aired directly after Caitlyn Jenner accepted her Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYS as an example of the brand incorporating its message of inclusiveness into its advertising.