vrbo plays with our airbnb anxiety

Why the latest OOH campaign hits the mark

The photos made the space look gorgeous: Hyper-modernist, light-filled, with antique accents and a glorious view. In reality, the place was so sterile and fraudulent, that I felt like I was on set to film Severance. Nothing was what it was. A total Trompe l'œil.

I haven’t booked an airbnb since. I’m sure I am not the only one who has had a recent experience like this one, where there’s a wide chasm between what was advertised and what was. Beyond misleading listings, travelers have also complained about the long lists of instructions hosts leave, uncleanliness, poor communication, hidden fees, noise disturbances, safety concerns, uncomfortable accommodations, and neighborhood issues.

All of this, and prices are going up. “Welcome to Your Airbnb, the Cleaning Fees Are $143 and You’ll Still Have to Wash the Linens,” reads a WSJ headline from 2022. “You don’t want to wake up at 6 a.m. to do chores when you’re on vacation,” said a disgruntled guest in that article. “This kind of changes the whole vibe. It’s stressful.”

Did a scroll on r/AirBnB this afternoon and….

all within a 24-hr period…

Mid-market hotels have a huge edge on airbnbs: consistency. There’s a certain standard if you’re staying at a place with a front desk. Even if the coffee is harsh and the lighting is bad, you know the mattress will be tolerable and the air conditioner will work. The sheets will be clean and you won’t be in charge of washing them. And hey, if you get robbed or if there is “water damage, blood stains and electrical issues” (oh my!) then you can lose your shit, and chances are, they’ll help make it right. And, Marriott isn’t going to give you a hard time if you "damage the countertop.”

Of course, there are many reasons why someone chooses a short-term rental (still) over a hotel. The stays can be more unique + experiential. Having a larger space is far more fun and convenient for group or family travel. The atmosphere and locality of a place, too, opens up to you when you’re living as the people there do. Even so, when going for a short-term rental, a traveler is likely not thinking about all of these benefits. Our public consciousness, I think, sees short-term rentals as a necessary evil, not as an exciting alt to hotels. When airbnb first started, sure. But not now. No one is saying, “I am so excited to stay in Teresa’s spare bedroom” or to sleep in “Jim’s family’s cabin.”

There have been too many horror stories. Too many hidden cameras. Too many unmet expectations. Booking outside of hotels comes with serious anxiety and airbnb, the most popular short-term booking platform, is now associated with an atmosphere of unreliability.

And so, this provided a perfect opportunity for Vrbo. Much like Apple’s pivot to privacy once Google and Amazon made everyone afraid with their always-listening voice assistants, Vrbo pivoted to Reliability. The strategic campaign highlights Airbnb’s primary weakness (inconsistency) and solves customers main pain point (booking anxiety.) “Rest assured the bed won’t be inflatable,” one campaign headline reads. The tag across every billboard? “Relax, you booked Vrbo.” Smart. Strategic. Effective. Of course, anyone walking past a billboard like this one fills in the blank. “Relax, it’s not an Airbnb,” we think.

While we never explicitly name competitors in our advertisements, it’s fairly obvious to discern who we might be referencing, said Tim Rosolio, VP, Vacation Rental Partner Success at Expedia Group.

Does this campaign fill you with wanderlust? No. It’s kinda boring. But guess what? It’s probably working. The campaign has clarity. It’s says something specific that directly address travelers primary pain point while highlighting their competitor’s main weakness. “Relax, you booked a Vrbo,” doesn’t make you want to fly to Tokyo much like “Privacy. That’s iPhone” doesn’t get you fired up to use the product and its many features. It doesn’t matter.

Brand marketing that’s rooted in what’s true, not in what’s more fun for a creative director to execute, will always win.

Meanwhile, airbnb is primarily marketing their incredible categories—farms, arctic, grand piano. The campaign, especially relative to Vrbo’s, is inarguably more fun. This copywriting is wicked good. It inspires me to go somewhere wild. But the thing is, when I see these photos in these incredible places, I find myself wondering about the actuality of these stays. Does that arctic hut have heat? Does that ranch home have running water? Are the keys on that grand piano in tune?

What do you think? Where do you stay when you travel?

Lately, I’m all about a bed and breakfast.