Caves, tree houses, hanoks, mini-houses, incredible pools, barns, towers, organic houses, houseboats, castles: these are some of the new categories created by Airbnb to rent the "dream place" for a long weekend or short vacation.
The experience replaces the destination, which no longer seems to be the first parameter of choice. Whether it is Greece, Scandinavia, Morocco or California, travelers are increasingly looking for a home away from home. A magical place, perhaps very different from where they spend most of the year, that transports them to a dream dimension, no matter if 10 or 10,000 kilometers from their own reality.
Airbnb is an example of a brand that continues to grow because it knows how to transform itself, offering its customers an ever-evolving consumer experience. After all, innovation has been the strength of this brand since 2007, when two hosts decided to host three guests in their San Francisco home for the first time. Since then, this community has been growing steadily. Today it has nearly 5 million hosts, who in turn have hosted more than 1 billion people in almost every country in the world.
Communication campaigns, even the most creative and bold ones, tend to be meteors destined to create a Wow effect and disappear quickly.
The Lost Class, in addition to being the most awarded communication campaign of 2022, is considered an extremely effective communication operation because of the durability of its media resonance. Conceived by Leo Burnet Chicago together with the nonprofit association Change the Ref, the creative strategy created a paradox, leading former NRA president David Keene to deliver beautiful graduation speeches in front of 3,044 empty seats. A significant number because it represents students who would have graduated had they not been shot and killed.
"The lost class" is a virtuous example of how a campaign can endure and thrive over time, garnering 1.2 billion impressions on social media, achieving a 9000% increase in daily mentions, and remaining the most awarded Worldwide campaign for over a year.
Fake fashion is nothing new. Counterfeit luxury goods have always attracted a certain class of consumers: those who like to flaunt products or lifestyles that look much more expensive than they actually are.
What has changed is that it has become a real trend called "Frugal Flexing." Today, fakes are celebrated and discussions on social media revolve around the merits of different fakes.
On TikTok, for example, the hashtag #dupes (duplicates) has garnered 2.1 billion views and #reps (replicas) 1.9 billion. "Consumers, particularly younger consumers, are still interested in getting status, but they are trying to get it through thrift and frugality," says Chris Beer, data journalist at GWI.
It's a trend that online shopping has made easier than ever, although the new "Frugal Influencers" have to be careful because luxury brands can sue them.
PepsiCo has been an early mover in the gaming space since 2007. As the gamer community continues to grow, brands are taking a much more active approach to be ubiquitous and talk to the gamer audience throughout the year. How?
Every game has its own culture, its own community, its own influencers. You have to know the rules of the game, knowing that every game is different. "When we look at the gaming world, we evaluate five main partners: game publishers, eSports leagues, individual teams, content creators, and, of course, media platforms like Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming," comments Paul Mascali, Head of Esports and Gaming at PepsiCo.
With its varied food and soft drink brands, Pepsi has built a real gaming strategy over the years to win over the new youth as well as those who are growing up with their favorite games. Gamers tend to be more skeptical of traditional advertising, but open to any initiatives that brands come up with to enhance their gaming and entertainment experiences.
Gamers are becoming increasingly conscious consumers, mindful of their spending on games. That is why gaming marketing should not simply add its logo to something, but should become an integral part of the gamers' storyline and experience.
