Airbnb re-launched earlier this month with its new 'Belo' symbol, and the idea of 'belonging'
I think one of the reasons for this is that it can help Airbnb move away from purely accommodation and into other parts of the sharing economy, where you can also feel you 'belong'.
The classic Airbnb model - you rent something from someone who doesn't need it at that time - is so flexible that it can apply to so many different things.
A few examples from Google Auto-complete:
Airbnb for...
aeroplanes
boats, bikes, business travel
cats, cars, camping, commercial space
dogs, dinner parties, desks
eating, education
food, flights, freelancers
gyms, garages
jobs, jets
kitchens
luxury
meeting rooms, motorcycles
office space
pets, parking, popup shops
restaurants, retail, RVs
storage, skills
tools, toilets, tour guides
venues
workspace, weddings
yachts
There are already companies that offer almost all of these as a business model - in some cases lots of companies (e.g. 'airbnb for retail space' or 'airbnb for (homecooked) food').
Airbnb's new identity should help them move into these areas.
(I did the same on Netflix - because lots of companies are also attempting their 'single regular fee for all you can consume' model, but fewer business ideas came up - anime, audiobooks, books, comics, clothes, games, hotels, and jewellery - although all of these are quite interesting)
Update - 'Airbnb is planning a tours and city experiences service' - 21st September 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment