Airbnb x Flipboard

Brand collaborations work best when they are a regular part of your marketing strategy. The more collaborations you do, the greater your brand's ability to reach the most people the most organic way. To execute collabs more frequently, identify the factor that makes your brand collab-ready.

Flipboard is a great example of a brand that welcomes collaboration. As a magazine-like app that curates users’ newsfeeds according to their interests, FlipBoard makes the perfect home for tailored content. 

Knowing that brands rely on narrative to connect with their customers, FlipBoard has dedicated an entire section of their platform to brand-created content. This meets a critical demand for companies like Airbnb. 

Airbnb is in the business of lending homes away from home. Because their website is primarily transactional, there’s little room for storytelling. This became an issue when Airbnb decided to offer immersive travel opportunities via Airbnb Experiences. From surfing in Hawaii to cooking gourmet meals in Paris, Experiences lets customers embark on unique adventures hosted by local experts.  

To raise awareness about Experiences, Airbnb set up their own home away from home on FlipBoard. By creating exclusive content for FlipBoard, Airbnb was able to reach the users that would be most interested in their offer.

Flipboard’s Airbnb Magazine featured compelling stories about adventure opportunities organized by location.  It was the perfect scenario—Airbnb sold the dream travel experience, and Flipboard provided the place for customers to dream! 

The brands fueled their campaign with an irresistible offer: a chance to win a free Airbnb Trip! All customers had to do was open the Flipboard app and like stories and that featured Airbnb experiences. 

This strategy drove tons of traffic to both brands’ platforms. After learning they could win a free trip, Airbnb customers flocked to the FlipBoard app. After fantasizing about upcoming travel plans, customers returned to the Airbnb platforms at the perfect moment: when they were ready to make a purchase. The campaign had a natural flow. 

Flipboard’s brand magazine is the collab factor, the blank canvas, and the tetrus slot that allows brands to seamlessly fit into their overall marketing strategy.