A branded content experience as disruptive as the brand itself
Time Period
July 2015 – June 2016
Background
Joanna Coles of Hearst Magazines approached Peter Frank in the summer of 2015 to help with a confidential project: creating a prototype for an Airbnb-branded magazine, to be published jointly by Hearst and the sharing-economy pioneer, and distributed both on newsstand and to Airbnb hosts and guests
Process
To reflect the Airbnb ethos of human connection and live-like-a-local authenticity, Frank proposed a print magazine that would focus on travel experiences that are personal and genuine, rather than the artificial and sanitized world portrayed in many other travel magazines. Along with designer Anton Ioukhnovets and staff from Hearst and Airbnb, Frank created a prototype that was closer to a coffee table book than a traditional magazine, and used immersive photography and bold typography to create a unique reading experience. Giving the magazine a landscape orientation, rather than portrait, made it even more distinct.
This prototype was then presented to focus groups in four cities. Along with the results of a quantitative study of travel and media consumers, this feedback was used to create a second prototype with live copy and photography. This version was more focused on travel service and recommendations, much of it sourced from the Airbnb community of hosts and guests.
Results
Airbnbmag, a further evolution of the two prototypes developed by Frank and the team, was announced in November 2016 at the Airbnb Open Conference in Los Angeles.