Excerpt from Marketing Magazine.
Sam Becker, Creative Director at Brand Union takes an interesting look at 5 things we can learn from the recent rebranding of Airbnb.
Say what you will about the new logo (and many, many, many have) but the launch of the new Airbnb brand was handled masterfully—from the pre-launch teaser right through to the post-launch damage control via Twitter. In the Internet pile-on age, when large companies are conditioned to fear wholesale change it’s refreshing to see a company confidently herald something new in such an engaging, inclusive manner.
” Why have someone reinterpret your story if you can furnish it directly?”
Airbnb wasted no time educating its customers on what the new brand stood for and what it meant for the business, even going so far as introducing a platform for customers to create their own interpretation of the brand’s symbol. This launch was a declaration of what the once-quiet back channel booking agent had grown into. It appeared spontaneous while leaving nothing to chance. It proactively told the story Airbnb wanted the world to know and that’s pretty much the best thing a young brand can do.
When it comes down to it, the success of Airbnb’s launch can be distilled into five core principles that every brand should keep in mind at launch:
- Engage the press
- Drop hints
- Deliver a compelling story with room for contribution
- Make real change
- Be timely, be humble
Read the full article here
