2. AIRBNB MARKETING PLAN
Confidential
Executive Summary
The share economy is a growing sector in the Travel and Tourism industry. Airbnb has
established an online travel accommodation website as a viable option for travelers
looking to save money and still enjoy a memorable vacation. With the increase in Airbnb
hosts and guests, the company will find a need to expand the development of mobile
applications to offer more travel features. Meeting the needs of a global clientele will
help maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. An expansion in the Airbnb website
and mobile application will increase traditional and online advertisement. The expansion
will help increase product awareness, host recruitment, and overall online bookings with
the targeted segments.
In recent years, the company has encountered negative publicity and the brand image
came under attack as a risk to both hosts and travelers’ safety. This threatened the
foundation of the Airbnb’s service; as a result Airbnb responded by increasing
transparency and implementing more safety regulations for users. The continued increase
from users testaments will assist with reestablishing the brand as a trusted, affordable,
and valued travel and tourism website. Increasing advertising efforts will provide the
exposure that will allow Airbnb to increase revenue and develop a positive brand
positioning.
An advertising budget of $405,730 is proposed, as well as an initial investment of
$850,000 for marketing implementations. Additional capital investment from outside
sources of $1,500,000 will be needed to carry the campaign and outreach efforts to
completion. A larger staff will be attained to assist with the campaign, PR efforts, and
growth of the Airbnb platform. The campaign will be monitored for consumer feedback
and employee satisfaction throughout the six-month campaign period. The campaign will
run from January to June 2014. An emergent strategy will adjust the features of the
campaign that prove inefficient, such as the termination or expansion of marketing
tactics.
The “Who? What? Where” Internet campaign will use banner advertisement to draw
traffic to the website from related sites, such as National Geographic, Forbes and Lonely
Planet. Direct mail efforts will be used to provided discounts and travel gifts as incentives
for new bookings. Airport banners will establish brand recognition for frequent fliers to
the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. Lastly, further penetration into social
platforms such as Facebook and blog forums will strengthen brand awareness.
Airbnb provides a service that increases social interactions between people on a global
basis. Fostering communication between employees, hosts, and travelers will be a major
goal for Airbnb’s new implementations. With the functionality of the services limited to
safety, city guides, and housing listings; Airbnb will need to diversify product offerings
and improve on services to negate any loss of the Airbnb.com competitive advantage.
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3. AIRBNB MARKETING PLAN
Confidential
Table of Contents
BACKGROUND.............................................................................................................................1
COMPANY PROFILE.................................................................................................................1
BRAND PROFILE ......................................................................................................................2
INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT .....................................................................................................3
EXISTING MARKETING PLAN ...............................................................................................3
ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES .........................................................................................3
MARKETING GOALS AND STRATEGIES .............................................................................4
SWOT MATRIX .........................................................................................................................6
SWOT IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS ..................................................................................................6
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................10
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS .........................................................................................................10
POLITICAL ANALYSIS ..........................................................................................................11
LEGAL AND REGULATORY ANALYSIS ............................................................................12
SOCIO-CULTURAL ANALYSIS ............................................................................................13
TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS .............................................................................................13
CUSTOMER ANALYSIS/ TARGET MARKET ANALYSIS .................................................14
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................16
MARKETING STRATEGIES ...................................................................................................17
MARKETING MIX ...................................................................................................................18
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PLAN ..........................................................................20
TARGET MARKET ..................................................................................................................20
MISSION ...................................................................................................................................20
MESSAGE ................................................................................................................................20
METHODS ................................................................................................................................21
MARCOM BUDGET ................................................................................................................22
MEDIA CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION ......................................................................23
MARKETING CAMPAIGN MEASUREMENT ......................................................................25
MARKETING EVALUATION AND CONTROLS .................................................................26
FORMAL MARKETING CONTROLS ....................................................................................26
INFORMAL MARKETING CONTROLS ...............................................................................27
APPENDIX ...................................................................................................................................28
CREATIVE BRIEF ...................................................................................................................28
CREATIVE ...............................................................................................................................31
RESPONSIBILITIES LIST ........................................................................................................34
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