Abstract
The housing market is competitive because of the existence of numerous players. Airbnb accounts for 20% of the vacation rental industry market (Airbnb, 2022). The company has faced criticism in the past because of racial discrimination against minority groups. The target audience for the ad campaign is minority groups. The intended message is that Airbnb is for everyone regardless of race or color. The information will be passed to the customers using social media platforms and television. The company will benefit significantly by creating a positive rapport with people of color. This can ensure that the company increases its revenues as a result of the change in perceptions.
Introduction
Airbnb has a mission of creating a world where people can belong anywhere and where individuals can live in a place instead of traveling to it. The company “aims to create a world where you can belong anywhere and where people can live in a place instead of just traveling to it” (Airbnb, 2019, para 2). The organization’s main stakeholders are guests, hosts, communities, shareholders, and employees. Airbnb is a public company that is led by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The business targets vacationers and travelers by facilitating access to accommodation in any location. The organization contracts homeowners and landlords to list their houses on its platform. This ensures that clients can access the accommodation from a central place, which facilitates tourism and business. The firm has faced criticism due to accusations of racial discrimination from some of the hosts. The objective of the ad campaign is to change the perception of the company among people of color who have experienced prejudice from hosts. The intended market for this PR campaign is the minority groups who are impacted by bias.
Target Audience
Airbnb formulates its strategic aim as creating a world where people can live and belong anywhere without boundaries. However, a review of the feedback from customers has shown that there are serious issues regarding racial discrimination against minority groups by some of the hosts. The firm has been accused of allowing homeowners and landlords to discriminate against customers from minority communities. This has created a culture where certain people are treated positively while others get limited access to services. The target audience for the ad campaign is minority communities (Black and Latin Americans).
The business can benefit from enhancing its policy on how people of color are treated. This can be done by increasing diversity, which can involve contracting more homeowners and landlords from minority groups. The company can also introduce strict measures that address the way hosts treat customers. The ad campaign will ensure that the highlighted challenges are addressed to change the perception of the people. Airbnb is an organization that benefits from a positive brand image as it faces competition from hotels. The business can leverage its size and reach to create a better relationship with minority groups. In most cases, people of color are disenfranchised, which affects their ability to create positive experiences during their vacations.
Having hosts who are racists can result in the creation of negative perceptions and stereotypes that can affect the business. The company needs to address the issues to ensure it remains competitive. Airbnb can gain significantly from having a positive relationship with people of color. This can help increase the market share from the current 20% to 30% (Airbnb, 2022). The company can also increase its revenues by targeting minority groups through the provision of tailored listings. Understanding the needs of the target audience can create an opportunity for the organization to advance its business. Minority groups can benefit from having a firm that provides services without discrimination. Therefore, Airbnb will gain significantly from addressing minorities using an ad campaign that changes their perception of the business.
Intended Message
The campaign intends to address the negative stereotypes and perceptions that have been created as a result of discrimination by hosts. The Public Relations message may be formulated as ‘Airbnb can be used by any person regardless of color and race.’ Such an approach will be directed toward the intended audience – minorities. The campaign will be titled ‘Airbnb’s are for everyone’ and will showcase the diversity and inclusivity of the organization. This can involve including a message on the efforts the company is making to enhance diversity. One of the major issues is the underrepresentation of people of color in major companies. This affects the policies that organizations adopt regarding minority groups. The campaign aims to enhance the image of the company among people of color. This will benefit the company by expanding its customer base, which will increase revenues. The advertisement should emphasize that clients are encouraged to book listings and stay with people they are not familiar with. This can be a way of showing that the company values diversity and does not discriminate against any individual.
The message should be in the form of a video to ensure maximum effects. In the current age, people are more likely to view visually appealing advertisements (Shareef et al., 2019). The ad should have people of color to ensure that viewers understand the intention of the campaign. The commercial can feature an instance where a person from a minority group stays with people from other races, and they have an enjoyable time together. This will be crucial in depicting that all people can live in the same house without any issues. The business can also add compelling statistical evidence that shows the diversity and inclusivity data within the company. The organization has a significant platform that can be used to reduce prejudices against people of color. The campaign can become a big part of the diversity policy of the company. This can create a positive perception of the company among minority groups and other customers who value inclusivity and diversity.
Media to be Used
The advance in technology has created more avenues for businesses to reach their clients. Social media offers companies the ability to engage with customers at any given time (Appel et al., 2020). This benefits the organization because it creates an opportunity to influence the brand image. The campaign can be launched on social media because of the need to reach a majority of users. The organization should encourage minority groups to share their experiences when using Airbnb. This information can be used to check whether the message has the intended effect. Through the use of influencers, the company can target minority groups effectively (Appel et al., 2020). The influencers should be people of color to ensure they relate with the target audience easily. The campaign should also address hosts who are located in minority communities on ways to boost positive ratings and visibility. The intention is to change the negative perceptions among people of color. The social media department has to constantly engage with users and answer any questions they raise. This is because interactions can enhance the perception that the company is serious in its quest to enhance diversity and inclusivity.
Another avenue that the company can use is television, as it has a wider reach among minority groups. Television advertisements have a significant impact because they reach a wide audience and are repeated several times during the day (Appel et al., 2020). The campaign aims to change the way users from minority communities view Airbnb. Changing the policies on diversity and inclusivity can create opportunities for employees to collaborate in marketing the company. The changes have to be communicated in a way that is easy to understand. Television ads offer the chance to showcase the message that Airbnb is for everyone. The company can position the ads during primetime for maximum viewership. As part of the social media strategy, the organization can engage influencers from minority communities to help in spreading the message. Therefore, television ads and social media are the two main avenues that will be used for the PR campaign.
Timeline
The social media campaign is essential because it creates high-level interactions with clients. The campaign should run for a period of six months, with daily posts between 9 am and 10 am. This is an opportune time for the advertisement to run because a majority of people access social media during early morning work hours (Appel et al., 2020). During the course of the six months, the message will remain the same. However, additional information on the progress can be provided to clients. Airbnb should focus on enhancing its diversity and inclusivity policy to reflect the issues highlighted by customers. The television advertisement will also run for a period of six months. The company will monitor the impact of the campaign and make changes where necessary. This can involve a change in the messaging because of the emergence of new opportunities. Airbnb has to analyze the effect of the advertisement on minority groups after six months.
Conclusion
In summary, Airbnb can benefit significantly by targeting minority communities. This is because a review of the organization shows that there are reports of racial discrimination against minority groups. This is a serious issue that can affect the revenues of the company. The ad campaign that Airbnb is for everyone can help change the negative perceptions that exist among people of color. The advertisement should focus on changing the way people view the brand. Social media platforms and television will be used to spread the message that Airbnb’s for everyone, regardless of race or color.
References
Airbnb. (2019). Airbnb 2019 business update. Airbnb Newsroom. Web.
Airbnb. (2022). Airbnb fourth quarter and full-year 2021 financial results. Airbnb Newsroom. Web.
Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2020). The future of social media in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 79-95. Web.
Shareef, M. A., Mukerji, B., Dwivedi, Y. K., Rana, N. P., & Islam, R. (2019). Social media marketing: Comparative effect of advertisement sources. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 46, 58-69. Web.
