Airbnb “Double Feature” launched in cinemas on June 17th

Cristina Blanaru Creativity

Airbnb, a leading global community-driven hospitality company, announced that it is taking its Live There campaign to cinemas the week-end starting June 17th with a split-screen experience to be debuted during 3-D showings of summer blockbusters Finding Dory,  Independence Day: Resurgence, and The Secret Life of Pets (UK only). Moviegoers will have a first-of-its-kind, immersive experience that contrasts standardized mass tourism with the unique moments of travel and authentic experiences that are possible while traveling on Airbnb.

For two weekends only in the US, UK and Australia, Airbnb’s “Double Feature” cinema experience, in partnership with National CineMedia (NCM) in the US, Digital Cinema Media (DCM) in the UK and Val Morgan in AUS, will allow moviegoers the ability to see two alternative travel experiences simultaneously by using specialized bifocal glasses that employ adapted 3-D technology.

The role of creative work at Airbnb is to inspire people to desire a different way to travel, one that challenges traditional tourist clichés. This incredible use of technology allows the cinemagoer to experience advertising like they never have before (…) So right there, right then the Airbnb experience transports you between living like a local versus visiting like a tourist. Honestly, when my team and I went for the demo in the movie theater we were all blown away. This is the new frontier in cinematic advertising.

Jonathan Mildenhall,

Chief Marketing Officer at Airbnb

 

Finch, an Australian production company comprised of film-makers, producers, and engineers, has created a 37 Degrees™ innovative system that separates 2D images so that the two images can be seen simultaneously depending on the viewer’s chosen perspective. This patented technology has creatively eliminated the need for split screens or playing out points of difference one after the other, effectively showing two sides of the same story on the same screen at the same time. The partnership with Finch was brokered by Starcom Mediavest as another way for Airbnb to continue to leverage new media and emerging technology to extend into new markets.

The 37 degrees technology encourages conversations. Giving the audience the power to switch between films in a cinema helps drive the creative idea of ‘choice’. Experiencing the technology feels like magic and it aligns beautifully with Airbnb

Rob Galluzzo,

Founder and Executive Producer Finch

 

Earlier this year, Airbnb launched its largest global brand campaign to date called ‘Live There,’ in response to the growing dissatisfaction and disappointment with standardized tourist offerings. The ‘Live There’ films, developed by TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, focus on three of Airbnb’s most popular cities –  Paris, Tokyo and L.A.  The campaign reinforces Airbnb’s global initiative to encourage travelers to break free from the limits of cookie-cutter travel and see the world with a fresh perspective and not just visit a destination, but truly abandon the common, standardized tourist experience and “live there.”

We want to offer travelers unique experiences that transcend cookie-cutter travel, going beyond traditional industry standards (…) When we first started thinking about how to show the impact of different ways of travel, we wanted to choose a medium that would create a transformative experience. By partnering with Finch, we can make this dream a reality through its groundbreaking technology to create an engaging experience that brings our unique proposition to life.

Rachael Haley,

Brand Media Manager Airbnb

Once the movie begins, an onscreen message will prompt the audience to put on their special glasses and instruct them to simply tilt up or down to toggle between experiences. The Airbnb film asks, “How do you want to see Paris? How would you visit LA? How about Tokyo? Who do you want to spend time with? And when it’s all over, what would you want to remember?” as moviegoers experience different versions of the same trip depending on their personal perspective.

“NCM relishes our role as the connector between brands and movie audiences, and this is a groundbreaking example of how we can collaborate with an agency and a client to help them tell their story in cinema in a way that simply can’t be done anywhere else,” said President of National CineMedia (NCM), Cliff Marks. “The big screen is such a unique canvas, and Airbnb has painted a beautiful picture of personal travel for moviegoers to enjoy. We’re proud to be able to introduce this incredibly innovative ‘Double Feature’ technology to audiences and advertisers here in the U.S.”

Pippa Glucklich, CEO Starcom UK:

The use of 37 Degrees and the cinema medium was a natural choice to showcase the latest stage of Airbnb’s ‘Live There.’ campaign. Utilising this new technology that allows cinemagoers to create their own experience of the campaign in cinema’s unique environment where audiences are relaxed, undistracted and have paid to pay attention will ensure maximum engagement with a highly engaged audience to raise awareness of the brand’s key values.

Davina Barker, Sales Director, DCM:

We’re thrilled to have worked with Airbnb to launch their latest creative using cinema’s latest technological development, 37 Degrees. Showcasing their ad in this way allows cinemagoers to be the curators of their own experience, offering a sense of uniqueness as people who are sat next to each other can see something different.

Tristan Wyse, National Sales Director, Val Morgan, commented: “This groundbreaking campaign is the coming together of technology and imagination and was made possible through a true partnership between all parties involved. The activation inspires travelers to reimagine what it is to travel by showcasing the authentic experiences made possible through Airbnb. Finding Dory is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year, and this memorable activation will create a lasting impact and really strengthen the ‘Live There’ message.”

The Airbnb “Double Feature” cinema experience will be presented in select movie theaters June 17-19 and June 24-26 in the U.S. by National CineMedia (NCM), in the U.K. by Digital Cinema Media (DCM), and in Australia by The Val Morgan Cinema Network. SAWA, the Global Cinema Advertising Association, was instrumental in bringing these international cinema advertising leaders together to bring Airbnb’s “Double Feature” experience to movie audiences around the world.

Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or from a mobile phone or tablet. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences, at any price point, in more than 34,000 cities and 191 countries. And with world-class customer service and a growing community of users, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.

Airbnb ‘LIVE THERE’ Split Cinema – Credits

Starcom

  • Global: Jillian Mansheim, Gerard Martin, Cristina Torres, Tony Medio
  • UK: Russell Pugh, Margarita Dimitrova, Reham George, John Joshua, Ben Dalton, Lauren Rodrigues
  • AU: Anthony Thomas, Amy Liang, Fatima Marvi, Sarah Potter

TBWA\CHIAT\DAY

  • CREATIVE: Brent Anderson, Ben Beazley, Kyla Elliot, John Figone, Michael Flannery
  • BRAND LEADERSHIP: Kelly Lee, Jenn Wong, Matt Theisen, Aubrey Larson
  • PLANNING: Neil Barrie, Jennifer Costello
  • PRODUCTION: Brian O’Rourke, Darryl Hagans, Joseph Haldeman
  • BUSINESS AFFAIRS: Linda Daubson, Maryam Ohebsion

AIRBNB

  • CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER: Jonathan Mildenhall
  • GLOBAL MARCOM DIRECTOR: Brian Irving
  • GLOBAL MARCOM MANAGER: Marion Link
  • GLOBAL PRODUCTION LEAD: Holly Butler
  • MEDIA MANAGER: Rachael Haley
  • GLOBAL SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER: Jasmine Atherton
  • GLOBAL BRAND STRATEGY: Cameron Ferrin