Belong anywhere - what's next Airbnb?
Nikki Neale • August 8, 2024
When I found myself in Amsterdam, at least twice a month, back in the days of pre-pandemic frequent travel, a saviour of my sanity was without a doubt Airbnb. More space, less formality, the chance to really know a city and cook your own food; made being away from home that little bit better. Their brand differentiator ‘belong anywhere’ was writ large in the end-to-end experience.
With shares dipping significantly this week and a disappointing outlook predicted thanks to a soft consumer market in the US, it really got me thinking about Airbnb’s stellar achievements, its ability to survive a global pandemic and what their truly epic brand differentiation might allow them to do next.
A little history
Airbnb, founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, has grown from a small start-up into a global powerhouse and that’s a fact. Its inception was a masterclass in branding and differentiation, positioning itself uniquely in a saturated market. Airbnb's concept was revolutionary: an online marketplace for short-term lodging in private homes. The idea stemmed from the founders' personal experience of renting out an air mattress in their living room to make extra money. This simple, yet innovative idea tapped into the existing but underutilised inventory of spare rooms and entire homes, offering travellers a unique, local experience that hotels could not provide.
Branding strategy
From the outset, Airbnb’s brand emphasised community, belonging, and unique experiences. The positioning ‘belong anywhere’ encapsulated its mission to create a sense of home for travellers wherever they went.
Practically that meant:
- Building a focus on user generated content, capitalising on and moving beyond the successful model created by TripAdvisor - guest reviews and host profiles built trust and authenticity throughout the experience (when an estimated 91% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, it was a strategy grounded in success)
- Creating localised and personal experiences, which was driven by consumer demand in the emerging Instagram era – want to go to a little-known bar? A beach that’s undiscovered? Your host, knows better than the best-of-the-best concierges
- Community building – the creation of forums and digital events allowed consumers to begin the experience before they left home and continue way past the end of the holiday – extending good vibes and elongating loyalty
Dark clouds on the horizon
It’s rarely all plain sailing, even with the best strategy and positioning businesses need to occasionally pivot and let’s face it, COVID was the pivot to end all pivots (PIVVVVOOOOOTTTT – admit it, that Friends reference was in your head too!)
COVID dealt a severe blow to travel and hospitality and Airbnb was no exception. Global lockdowns, travel restrictions, and health concerns led to a drastic decline in bookings. In response, Airbnb had to lay off 25% of its workforce and halt non-core projects to conserve cash - brutal.
Despite these challenges they adapted quickly, they pivoted to local stays (with global travel restrictions), they rented to remote workers and encouraged long term lets in a better lockdown environment than your own – brilliant! This was supported by enhanced cleaning protocols and a continued commitment to digital innovation and online experiences – everything changed, but nothing changed, when the brand differentiator ‘belong anywhere’ remained steadfast.
A new world
Now, in a post-pandemic world, market influences continue to be factored, they have to be. Our habits, our desires, our needs, have all been somewhat altered.
Work from home (or work from anywhere) policies are a dream for the brand – honestly, why are you looking at your spare bedroom wall, when you could be sitting on a riverbank or in a buzzing city? The consumer push towards greener more sustainable travel, is also a win, supporting eco-friendly hosts and shunning the approval of planning permission for a ‘mega-complex’.
Though green is good, there’s undeniably a backlash in ‘real’ communities, where tourism is becoming less popular with the locals.
Local homes, for local people
In the UK and other regions, there is growing backlash against Airbnb. Communities are concerned about the proliferation of short-term rentals transforming neighbourhoods into transient areas, leading to serious long-term issues:
- Housing Shortages - The conversion of long-term rental properties into short-term lets reduces the availability of housing for local residents, driving up rent and property prices highlighted by a study by the Economic Policy Institute
- Community Disruption - High turnover of guests can disrupt the social fabric of communities, with increased noise, litter, and security concerns – The Guardian even reporting on full social movements in local communities attempting to oust the renters
- Economic Displacement - Despite many towns and cities benefitting from the tourist pound, the truth is local businesses often suffer as tourists frequenting short-term rentals do not contribute as much to the local economy as long-term residents.
In response to these issues, many government organisations are imposing stricter regulations on short-term rentals, including caps on rental days in cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona, alongside increased licencing requirements and the imposition of a tax burden on the short term let.
Current Earnings Crisis in the USA
And clearly this kick back isn’t the only issue. The broader economic context, particularly the earnings crisis in the USA, is having an impact on the organisation. With many Americans facing stagnant wages and rising living costs, discretionary spending on travel may well continue to decline. This could very easily lead to decrease in bookings and a shift in travel patterns.
There’s also a question about the Airbnb model, could they begin to damage themselves with their own positioning? Could the economic strain in the US lead to more homeowners listing properties on Airbnb to generate additional income, increasing supply, and potentially driving down prices? Who knows…
Future Outlook
When your brand positioning is so unbelievably, spectacularly right and connected so deeply with human need, the answer is to forge on and keep the core.
To navigate the challenges, perhaps Airbnb should double down on ‘belong anywhere’ – diversifying the offering even further, expanding beyond short term rentals, into co-living spaces, working spaces or travel experiences? But this can only be achieved by working on and in local communities to address concerns and support the experience for permanent residents as well as those of us who are more nomadic.
One thing’s for sure, no matter the future for Airbnb, the next pivot, the next tax bill, or the next undiscovered beach or restaurant – their journey from a novel idea to a global brand is a testament to the power of brand differentiation.
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IDEAS TO STEAL
Is social your main channel for sales? It’s big trouble for small businesses. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. They’re visually appealing, where everyone seems to be, and they feel like the perfect place to showcase your amazing products. It’s no wonder that in recent years, small businesses have faithfully jumped headfirst into social as their primary (or even only) sales platform. While each platform can be a powerful tool, relying solely on social for sales is like putting all your eggs into one filter-heavy basket, where your business is the only element at risk of getting scrambled. Here’s why: 1. You're not (and NEVER will be) in control of the algorithm The social algorithms are fickle beasts. They change constantly, so what worked last week might be invisible to your followers today. In the most recent Instagram change, our feed was flooded by posts from small business owners, apologising for not ‘being present’ as they grappled to find extra hours for re-sizing grid images from square to rectangle (P.S. If you haven’t resized your grid images yet, don’t bother because no-one cares anyway.) One change to the algorithm can mean that overnight, your beautifully crafted content isn’t reaching your target audience anymore, and the impact on sales is noticeable. You're at the mercy of a system you don't control, making consistent revenue generation a real challenge. When unpredictability rules over cash flow, financial forecasting and future business planning become the stuff of nightmares. 2. Platform Dependence - what if it disappeared? What nonsense, we hear you mutter… well, the truth is that social media platforms come and go. While social platforms seem dominant now, there's NO guarantee it will be the same for your target audience in five years (Facebook falls behind TikTok, Instagram and SnapChat across the 16-24 age bracket compared to 5 years ago, for instance). Building your business on a platform you don't own is incredibly risky. If that platform were to disappear or drastically change its functionality, your business could be severely impacted.
This week, we have spent time with small business owners and startups - people brimming with ambition and a vision to create brilliant, bespoke experiences through their businesses. These are not cookie-cutter enterprises; they’re driven by passion, artistry, and a deep desire to deliver something meaningful. Yet, we’re increasingly noticing the business owners we’re working with are trapped in the relentless grip of ‘hustle’. They’re constantly challenged by the pressure to do more, to expand faster, to keep pushing without pause. It’s exhausting. In these conversations, we’ve asked a powerful and deceptively simple question: ‘What feeds your soul?’ It’s a question that demands reflection beyond profit margins and growth strategies. Ambition is important - but whose terms are you building on? Are you chasing someone else’s version of success, or are you shaping a vision of richness and ambition that aligns with your values and your life? The Problem with More Psychologists have long studied the phenomenon of how quickly we adapt to material gains. You’ve probably experienced it yourself: after a big purchase, you feel a rush of excitement. But within days or weeks, that excitement fades. The new car, the luxury watch, or even a business milestone, all begin to feel ordinary. This phenomenon is known as hedonic adaptation, and it can be one of the most insidious traps in business and life. For instance, we probably feel elated after securing a major client but soon find that excitement replaced by new stressors as the business puts pressure on for yet another win. The constant push for ‘more’ never truly satisfies because the goalposts keep moving. Hedonic adaptation happens because our minds normalise both positive and negative circumstances. Once something becomes part of our daily life, our expectations shift, and the novelty wears off. This explains why career achievements, like promotions or hitting revenue targets, may bring fleeting joy but quickly give way to new pressures and desires. The cycle continues unless we take steps to break free. It’s not just expectation shifts that contribute to this treadmill effect. Our tendency to compare ourselves to others erodes appreciation for what we already have. It’s easy to feel dissatisfied when success is measured against someone else’s highlight reel. You know the ones: ‘I make six figures a month and you can too.’ These messages creep into our mindset, subtly planting the idea that if we’re not there yet, we’re somehow falling short. Thankfully there is there are ways to slow the treadmill and shift focus back to what really matters. Gratitude, practised regularly, is a powerful tool. It reorients our minds to appreciate what we have instead of what we’re missing. Similarly, focusing on experiences rather than possessions can create more lasting joy. Unlike material things, experiences become more meaningful over time as they shape our memories and identity. Pursuing goals that are intrinsic, tied to personal growth or connection rather than external validation, also helps break the cycle. Mindfulness, too, plays a role by bringing awareness to the present moment, grounding us in appreciation and reducing the relentless chase for ‘more’. Reconsidering Richness and the Journey So, what does richness mean if not in terms of wealth or accolades? For some of us, it’s time - time to be present with family, time to create without deadlines looming, time to savour life. For others, it’s the quality of experiences: supporting brands that reflect their values, building a business that nurtures rather than drains, spending energy on meaningful connections instead of grow at any cost. This isn’t just a personal issue. We’re seeing this pattern magnified on the world stage. Billionaires like Elon Musk seem trapped in an endless loop of ambition, unable to rest despite having achieved more than most people can even imagine. Space, social media platforms, AI - it’s as if ruling the world isn’t enough anymore. The same mindset infects business culture everywhere: the idea that success means never stopping, is fundamentally flawed. So, when will it stop? When will we finally breathe and say, “Enough is enough”? When will we allow ourselves to dream a vision that is not about domination or endless expansion, but about creating something that’s fulfilling and sustainable? It’s crucial to recognise that the journey itself is just as important as the goal. Often, we become so focused on achieving milestones that we forget to enjoy and learn from the process. Reflecting on the journey allows us to appreciate growth, resilience, and the relationships we build along the way. Celebrating milestones, such as completing a significant project or receiving positive client feedback, can provide renewed motivation and a sense of accomplishment. There’s richness in these moments that hustle culture tends to overlook.
It’s a staggering paradox: research shows that 70% of businesses that survive beyond five years attribute their success to having a strategic plan, yet 65% of SMEs admit they don’t have one. This glaring disconnect raises an important question: why do so many businesses avoid writing business plans, even when the evidence overwhelmingly supports their value? For many, running a business without a plan is like diving into the unknown without a map or compass. While the initial leap may feel exciting, the lack of direction quickly turns into uncertainty, wasted effort, and missed opportunities. THE MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PLANNING For many, the reluctance stems from common myths about the planning process: “It’s Too Time-Consuming” Entrepreneurs often see business planning as an overwhelming task that will consume precious time. With so many pressing priorities, creating a formal plan is perceived as a luxury rather than a necessity. “It’s All in My Head” SME owners frequently claim their goals and strategies are clear in their minds. However, without formalising these ideas, they risk overlooking blind spots and missing opportunities. A written plan provides clarity and structure, turning abstract ambitions into actionable strategies. “Planning Is Only for Startups Seeking Investment” While business plans are commonly associated with funding pitches, they serve a far broader purpose. A strategic plan acts as a roadmap, helping businesses align teams, prioritise goals, and maintain focus during periods of growth, change, or challenge. “Planning Can’t Predict the Future” While it’s true that no plan can anticipate every scenario, planning is about preparation, not prediction. By identifying risks and opportunities in advance, businesses can navigate uncertainty with confidence. THE COST OF NOT PLANNING Businesses with a written plan are 30% more likely to achieve growth than those without one. So why take the risk of operating without a clear strategy? The lack of a strategic plan can lead to a myriad of challenges including: Leadership burnout Wasted time and resources Missed opportunities as teams operate without clear direction Difficulty adapting to changes or measuring progress Misalignment across teams, causing inefficiency and frustration Poorer profitability Erosion of the founding company culture PERSPECTIVE ANALYSIS - BREAKS DOWN BARRIERS For those overwhelmed or underwhelmed by traditional planning methods, Perspective Analysis from Equipt offers a fresh approach. Tailored specifically for SMEs, it’s designed to overcome the obstacles that prevent many businesses from planning effectively. Tailored Simplicity Rather than burdening you with complex frameworks, Perspective Analysis focuses on what matters most: your goals, resources, and vision for the future. By breaking the process into manageable steps, it makes planning approachable, actionable and agile. Engaging and Actionable This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Perspective Analysis delivers strategies uniquely tailored to your business. Through workshops and collaborative sessions, the process ensures every step is focused on achieving clarity and driving action. Empowering Insights By encouraging deep reflection, Perspective Analysis uncovers hidden opportunities and risks. This allows businesses to move beyond surface-level plans and develop strategies that deliver meaningful results. A Collaborative Roadmap The process fosters team alignment and shared ownership. By involving key stakeholders, Perspective Analysis ensures everyone is working toward the same objectives, strengthening buy-in and accountability. The Competitive Advantage In a world where only half of businesses survive beyond five years, having a strategic plan can be the difference between thriving and failing. With Perspective Analysis, you can bridge the planning gap, creating a dynamic roadmap that evolves with your business. More than just a plan, Perspective Analysis embeds strategic thinking into your organisation, equipping you to tackle challenges, seize opportunities, and outpace competitors. GET STARTED TODAY If you'd like to join us for a one day Business Plan Bootcamp designed for businesses ready to accelerate their growth - get in touch. The real question isn’t whether you can afford to plan - it’s whether you can afford not to.
I’ve been watching a lot of Christmas films lately. Not unusual for this time of year. There’s something about them that just works, no matter how many times you’ve seen them. You know the endings, you know the characters, yet somehow they still hit the mark. The thing is, they all follow similar story arcs. Whether it’s the Grinch up in his cave, Kevin defending his home, or someone trying to save Christmas, the pattern is there. And for some reason, we love it. It’s got me thinking about why these stories work so well and what happens to us when we hear them. We already know the ending (it’s a Christmas film, after all), but we’re hooked by the journey. Part of that is down to narrative bias. Our brains naturally prefer stories with a clear start, middle, and satisfying end. Even if life is rarely that tidy, stories give us that structure and we can’t help but feel good about it.
If there’s one thing I wish I’d known earlier, both when I was starting out in advertising and later, managing others, it’s that the human brain isn’t fully developed until around age 25. Now that I’m running a mental health charity alongside consulting and training, this knowledge has completely reframed how I think about supporting young talent. Knowing that young professionals are still developing crucial skills, like decision-making, emotional regulation, and impulse control, has helped me make sense of the challenges I faced myself and the struggles I’ve seen others go through. Marketing and advertising are famously tough on young people. We throw them into high-stakes situations and expect them to handle it like seasoned pros, often with minimal support. But by understanding where they’re at developmentally, we can rethink how we work with them. Here’s how we can create a better experience for young talent in our industry. Guided Mentorship and Structure They Can Actually Use Advertising is messy and fast-paced, and I used to assume people would just “figure it out” because that’s what I had to do. But young professionals need structured guidance, clear project outlines, regular check-ins, and support for managing pressure. They’re still building up their decision-making abilities, and the right kind of mentorship makes a huge difference in how they adapt and grow in this environment. Letting Them Dip a Toe In First Marketing roles often give young people big responsibilities from day one, but we’d get so much more out of them if we let them try different things first. Letting them rotate through various tasks, social media, analytics, brainstorming, gives them a chance to see where they really thrive and build a bit of confidence before taking on heavier responsibilities. This approach not only helps them develop more rounded skills but also gives them a better sense of what they actually enjoy. Creating a Culture Where Mistakes Aren’t the End of the World I’ve seen young people take mistakes really hard, thinking a slip-up means they’ve failed spectacularly – snot, ugly crying, the works. Understanding that they’re still learning has made me realise how important it is to create a culture where mistakes are part of the process, not career-ending disasters. When a setback becomes a learning opportunity rather than a crisis, it lowers anxiety, builds resilience, and encourages smart risk-taking, all of which are essential in a creative industry.
Humans have always been captivated by the desire to understand themselves better. This quest for self-knowledge has driven countless philosophical inquiries, religious teachings, and, in our modern era, the widespread appeal of personality tests, zodiac signs, and even those quizzes that tell you if you’re more of a Meat Feast Pizza than a Hawaiian. Whether we admit it or not, most of us have indulged in these seemingly trivial assessments at some point. But what is it about these exercises in self-discovery that draws us in so powerfully? The answer lies in our deep-seated psychological needs for self-discovery, identity, and social belonging, needs that have been integral to the human experience for as long as we’ve existed. The Search for Identity From a young age, we embark on a lifelong journey of forming our identity, our internal compass guiding us through life’s complexities. This identity is built through our experiences, social interactions, and internal reflections. It’s a dynamic entity that evolves as we grow, face new challenges, and gain new insights. As children, we learn about ourselves in relation to others, how we are similar, how we are different, and how we fit into the social fabric around us. These early experiences lay the groundwork for the more complex self-concepts we develop in adulthood. Our experience in the workplace is no different; the broader our experience and the more we connect with new ideas, the richer our pool of information becomes. Despite this ongoing process of identity formation, many of us continue to seek clarity throughout our lives. This is partly because our identities are multifaceted and influenced by various factors, including cultural background, personal values, and life experiences. We may understand ourselves in certain contexts—perhaps as a parent, a professional, or a friend but struggle to integrate these different aspects into a cohesive sense of self. This struggle often leads us to seek out labels, categories, and definitions that help us make sense of who we are and where we fit in the world. Personality quizzes, with their promise of quick insights into our deepest selves, offer an appealing shortcut to this clarity. They provide a way to distil the complexities of our personalities into digestible, relatable terms. Whether it’s understanding our ‘love language’, identifying with a particular Myers-Briggs type, or discovering which Hogwarts house we belong to, these quizzes offer validation and self-affirmation that can be both comforting and empowering. They give us a language to describe ourselves, which in turn helps us communicate who we are to others. The Psychological Appeal of Categorisation The appeal of personality assessments isn’t just about the results they provide, but also about the process of categorisation itself. Psychologically, the need to label ourselves and others, stems from the human brain’s natural ability for categorisation, a cognitive function essential for making sense of the world. Research in cognitive psychology, particularly the work of Eleanor Rosch in the 1970s, has shown that our brains are wired to organise information into groups and patterns. This categorisation helps us navigate the complexity of our environment by simplifying it into manageable parts. When applied to self-knowledge, this need for categorisation becomes a tool for making sense of our inner world. It’s not just about knowing whether we’re introverted or extroverted, but understanding how these traits influence our behaviours, decisions, and relationships. By categorising aspects of our personality, we create a framework that helps us navigate personal and social challenges more effectively. For example, understanding that you’re a ‘Type A’ personality might help explain your competitive nature and drive, while identifying as a ‘Type B’ might shed light on your preference for a more relaxed approach to life. These categories provide us with a sense of identity that is both personal and social. They allow us to see ourselves as part of a larger group whether that’s people who share our Zodiac sign, our Enneagram type, or even our pizza preference. This sense of belonging is crucial for our psychological wellbeing, as it connects us to others who understand and validate our experiences. It’s a way of finding our place in the world, not just as individuals, but as members of a broader community.
Whoop! You made it past Black Friday – here’s how to never need this dark discount day ever again… In our last post, we gave you 5 reasons to say no to the darkness that is Black Friday discounting, especially if you are a small business. But what if this all feels a bit terrifying, especially when you check your emails, and it feels like the entire world IS doing Black Friday? Well, here is our guide to a few things you can start working on NOW, to make sure you never get FOMO about Black Friday ever again! Know your value By this, we mean that you need to understand why customers choose you over your competitors – coffee is a great example here – there are literally hundreds of places you can buy coffee these days, but if you asked most shoppers, they won’t cite the coffee as being the reason they go to Costa, Starbucks, Greggs or the independent cafe, anywhere near as often as you think. It will be the atmosphere, the must-have seasonal mug design, the free Wi-Fi or the price. So, understanding what you offer customers that is different to your competitors, will set you on a path that makes it hard for competitors to replicate what you offer, and easy for you never to have to compete with them on price again. Quality beats quantity. Always. When it comes to being able to hold your price, it’s quality you need to focus on, to avoid the Black Friday blues. Where can you make the experience you offer great quality, or are there things you can do to enhance your product quality, so people understand that when they pay for your service, they’re getting a quality that they won’t get elsewhere? Be true to your values You don’t have to join in with Black Friday, just because the rest of the world is doing it, and it’s okay to let your customers know why that is – if being sustainable is part of what you are all about, then let customers know! Providing that what you’re saying matches up with the perceptions your customers have about you, then it’s a good thing to be honest about stuff like this – it helps customers understand that you’re authentic, and this, in turn, will help to make your brand strong in the long run. And what’s the result of a strong brand? No need to discount – ever (if you don’t believe us here, just have a think about the last time you saw Apple advertise any discounts…)!
How black friday is bad for business
As the clocks go back…and the nights draw in, we snuggle up in cosy socks, warm jumpers, sip pints in pubs next to roaring fires and eat casseroles for dinner. And the change of the clocks means one more thing, the imminent release of the eponymous John Lewis Christmas ad (other ads are available, but rarely as hotly anticipated). What do our feelings about the winter season and John Lewis have in common? Nostalgia - as big as a dollop of sherry trifle. It’s the emotional thread that weaves together past and present, creating a powerful connection between brands and their audience. Nostalgia is the sentimental longing for the past and evokes powerful emotions, which is why advertisers are very quick to use it, especially at holiday time. It transports us back to cherished moments, conjuring feelings of comfort, security, and happiness. When used effectively, this emotional resonance can significantly impact consumer perception and behaviour. And when times are particularly difficult, when people are experiencing all manner of hardships, this nostalgia becomes more powerful than ever. Nostalgia establishes a sense of trust and credibility between a brand and its audience. By tapping into shared cultural or generational experiences, brands demonstrate an understanding of their customers' history and values and connects with them. This familiarity fosters a sense of belonging, reinforcing the idea that the brand is a reliable companion on their journey. In John Lewis’s case we relate to the anticipatory feelings of the little boy in the Long Wait, or we think about distant relatives who we might like to see, like the Man on the Moon A brand associated with positive memories and experiences from the past is more likely to be viewed favourably in the present. Nostalgic marketing triggers positive associations, making consumers more inclined to choose a product or service that evokes those warm, fuzzy feelings – John Lewis use it to show how embedded they are (or would like to be) in your family traditions. Nostalgia also offers a unique avenue for differentiation. By invoking memories of a simpler time or a cultural touchstone, a brand can distinguish itself from competitors, creating a distinct identity that resonates with consumers – for John Lewis, this links to a time when we more often physically went to a store instead of cyber space to buy our Christmas gifts. The Christmas shopping event being part of our Christmas tradition, alongside social activities, and ‘family’ – we’re not just buying ‘stuff’, we’re creating our narrative, our way of doing things and our children’s future traditions – it’s powerful, heady stuff! Nostalgia has the power to leave a lasting impression. A well-crafted nostalgic campaign can etch itself into the collective memory of a generation. This year, it’s no coincidence that the tune the John Lewis team have picked is Imagine, by John Lennon, bought up to date by Lewis Capaldi. First released to speak to a generation which felt like it lacked hope, peace, and security – sadly, this has deep connection for all of us today. In an era defined by constant change and innovation, nostalgia serves as a powerful anchor, grounding brands in the hearts and minds of consumers. And whilst I wouldn’t necessarily predict a hugely rosy future for John Lewis on the high street, it will no doubt stay in our collective consciousness for a long time to come.