Airbnb campaign criticised for being ‘creepy’
A new advertising campaign by airbnb has been criticised for being ‘creepy’ and taking on a horror movie tone.
The new campaign tells Twitter followers: "Go look through their windows, so you can understand their views. Sit at their tables, so you can share their tastes. Sleep in their beds so you may know their dreams."
But the tweets have been met with a series of negative responses from social media users.
‘Now that’s creepy’, said one, while another asked if anyone else reads the tweets in a ‘Freddy Krueger voice’.
Others mocked the campaign, coming up with their own slogans: ‘Search through their drawers so you may know their underwear’ and ‘Wear their skin, so you can know their soul’.
One Twitter follower said she the advert did nothing but remind everyone that they’re sleeping on someone else’s mattress.
Airbnb published a blog explaining the concept of the Twitter campaign, which centres on the question ‘Is man kind?’ and shows a shadowy, black and white video of a baby walking through a hallway.
"As we grow older, we’re often nervous about new experiences. When we go to a new place, many of us are afraid that we won’t be accepted, that we’ll feel lost or alone. When you fear the unknown and avoid strangers, it’s easy to question Man’s kindness," it said.
"What if we could explore the world with the fearlessness of a child? As children, we’re all fearless explorers. What if we could recapture that magic of adventure and sense of being at home anywhere?"
It also quoted CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky as saying: "The breakthrough of Airbnb is that it does more than give you a place to sleep – it changes the way you experience the world.
"Because when we trust in the kindness of our fellow man, we discover that the world isn’t such a scary place after all."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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