A very hairy family promotes the joy of Airbnb hosting

Spot directed by Kim Gehrig shows the benefits of opening your door to others

Published On
Dec 21, 2021

Editor's Pick

Vacation rental platforms love to remind us of the joys of discovering new places and creating new memories. But rarely do they bare the hairy underbelly of home-sharing: hosting. Airbnb’s latest campaign does exactly that—and proves a little hair isn’t so scary.

In a new spot, ominously called “Strangers,” a trio of large, woolly creatures eerily descend upon a quiet home in the dead of night, stomping through the halls, running their claws over surfaces and flipping light switches to a spooky musical screech.

But there’s nothing to fear here. The creatures just want a getaway like the rest of us. They dance through the forest on a hike, take selfies on the beach, cheer during a round of Jenga and snuggle up for a movie night. Better yet, they clean up after themselves and leave behind no horrors—only a thank you card. The beasts are revealed to simply be a family of three, happily spending a vacation in their host's home.

“Strangers aren't that strange,” says text at the end of the ad. “Try hosting.”

The striking and adorable video was created in-house and directed by prolific ad-maker Kim Gehrig, behind prominent work for Apple and the New York Times. The friendly fur monsters were designed by Sonny Gerasimowicz, who was appropriately behind the designs of similar creatures in Spike Jonze’s film adaptation of “Where The Wild Things Are.”

This isn’t the first time a vacation rental platform has lifted the curtain on hosting. A September campaign from VRBO showed the joy of sharing one’s property, albeit a more clean-cut approach.

Credits

Date
Dec 21, 2021
Client :
Airbnb
Agency :
Somesuch
Director :
Kim Gehrig
Executive Producer :
Kim Gehrig
Executive Producer :
Molly Griffin
Executive Producer / Producer :
Anura Idupuganti
Producer :
Alex Waite
DP :
Rodrigo Prieto
1st AD :
Paul Barry
Production Designer :
Chris Gorak
Creature Designer :
Sonny Gerasimowicz
Key Hair Stylist :
Vanessa Price
Director Assistant :
Stephan Moni
Production Supervisor :
Tyler Stubbs
Movement Choreographer :
Denna Thomsen
Global Head of Marketing :
Hiroki Asai
VP Creative Director :
Scott Trattner
VP Creative Director :
Eric Grunbaum
Head of Marketing Brand :
Nancy King
Director Brand Marketing :
Stephen Canfield
Director Brand Marketing :
Whitney McGraw
Director Brand Marketing :
Sarah Russell
Art Director :
Chris Hutchinson
Copywriter :
Driscoll Reid
Director of Global Productions :
Margaret McLaughlin
Executive Producer :
Mandi Holdorf
Senior Producer :
Jennifer Chen
Director Marketing Programs :
Lindsey Linger
Lead Program Manager Marketing :
Tiffany Goodeill
Business Affairs Manager Marketing Operations :
Nihad Peavler
Creative Cast :
Andre Tricoteux
Creative Cast :
Brandon Gibson
Creative Cast :
Kacie Borrowman
Editorial :
Tom Lindsay
Assistant Editor US :
Anthony LaRocca
Edit :
Cosmo Street US
Edit :
Trim Editing
VFX :
Blacksmith VFX
VFX Shoot Supervisor / 3D Lead :
Tom Bussell
VFX Shoot Supervisor / 2D Lead :
John Shirley
VFX Producer :
Ashley Goodwin
Colorist :
Mikey Pehanich
Music Supervisor :
Buzzy Cohen
Music Producer :
Quinn Donnell
Service Company :
Capital Media
Partner / EP :
Christian Allen
Production Supervisor :
Rod Bailey
Production Coordinator :
Amber-Leigh Polowich
Assistant Coordinator :
Sahara Webb
Masters VFX :
Creature Fabrication
Production Designer :
Michelle Derrick
Wardrobe Stylist :
Rachel Lee Mosuk
1st AC :
Toby Armitt
DIT :
Kelly Fennig
Key Grip :
Mike Scoffield
Gaffer :
Torbin Doege
Casting :
Alyson Horn Casting
Casting :
Kathleen Mayrs Casting
Casting :
Murdine Hirsch Casting
Casting :
Powerhouse Casting

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