Airbnb localises 'Belong Anywhere' in biggest social media push

Airbnb Hong Kong and independent outfit Curious Few have teamed up to explore the home-sharing concept via a sentimental depiction of Anthony Wong's (黃秋生) journey to Japan.The campaign is Airbnb's biggest local adaptation for Hong Kong, riding on its global brand identity "Belong Anywhere" with a localised Cantonese version "在途上找個家".The video poetically portrays Wong's short stay at a local family in Japan, a popular destination for Hong Kong travellers, and a series of heartwarming encounters with locals during his stay.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_ib7xarc7Q[gallery link="file" ids="120711,120709,120710,120713,120714,120715,120716,120717,120712,120718,120719,120720"]In just three days, the campaign has achieved a staggering 1.7 million in organic reach, with the video receiving 410,000 views. Likes of the official Airbnb Facebook page has also rose by 5,200 in two days."We wanted to bring to life our company mission of Belong Anywhere in a way that would resonate deeply with travelers of Hong Kong," said Henek Lo, general manager at Airbnb Hong Kong and Taiwan."This video gives our viewers a taste of the Airbnb experience and meeting our community online to offline that enables them to truly immersed in local culture. We thought Anthony's charismatic presence made him the perfect person to work with; it was truly a pleasure to work with someone of his caliber."The client-agency relationship was forged last year for which Curious Few is charged with Airbnb's social media content on Facebook in Hong Kong and Taiwan, focusing solely on outbound travel."From the get-go, we knew that there are only two types of consumers we face: those who would immediately fall in love with the concept and those who would hesitant and question how Airbnb could fit into the usual travel itineraries of Hongkongers," said Lee Man Kit, creative director at Curious Few."We agreed early on that we want to avoid presenting the Airbnb experience with typical tourism visuals such as shopping sprees and endless selfies with landmarks. Instead, we wanted to evoke the sense of belonging one experiences when you are truly immersed in local living."At the end we were blessed with a product that already had a clear differentiation with its competitors and it was just a simple task of making sure we as marketers did not get greedy and try to talk to all travellers out there in Hong Kong."CreditsCreative agency: Curious FewVideo director: James Leung @ Mutual WorkshopPhotography: Miss BeanClient: AirbnbGeneral manager Hong Kong and Taiwan: Henek LoSocial Media and content consultant: Joann NgaiPartnerships and field marketing consultant: Claudette Lam