A very hairy family promotes the joy of Airbnb hosting
Spot directed by Kim Gehrig shows the benefits of opening your door to others
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
Need a credit fix? Contact the Creativity Editors
Related work

Airbnb: Airbnb touts unique solutions for all types of travelers in global animated campaign

Airbnb: Airbnb sets more candid photos to great songs in new round of ‘Categories’ ads

Airbnb: Spend Halloween at the 'Scream' house for $5, courtesy of Airbnb
