Hasta La Creative!

Air BnB aired this version of their “mankind” ad during the ESPYs, where Caitlyn Jenner received the bravery award. Caitlyn’s acceptance speech included the line: “Choosing this outfit, the right shoes – ladies I finally understand”, which sounded incredibly shallow to me. In womanhood there’s no cramps, no pain, no giving birth to a live human being which then feels like your vulnerable heart is running outside of your body, no feeling weak or strong – there’s just choosing outfits. Ignoring that, the idea of this Air BnB is a lofty dreamy thought of simply trying on someone elses life, walling a mile in their moccasins by sleeping in their beds and perhaps seeing their dreams. It feels like a softer, gentler manifesto ad that TBWAChiatDay are so known for doing, and the baby trundle toward the windowed door is perfection. Ending the ad with mankind, womankind, transkind, humankind as they seek to align Air BnB with humane stories and project the idea that someone letting you stay in their home while charging you money for it is a generous thing to do, not a business transaction. The ad hits the perfect tone for this, and Air BnB CMO Jonathan Mildenhall knows the risk running the “transkind” bit. “I am prepared for my inbox to be flooded with haters who are challenging the position of inclusion… It’s not going to be accepted by everyone.” The tailored spot with Angela Basset voice-over only ran once, during the ESPYs. Air BnB and Mildenhall were going to run another ad about racial harmony, but found the perfect opportunity in Jenners ESPY win to show their LGBT support. “I just wish there were more brands out there who were doing active work and pushing people.” Jonathan Mildenhall said to AdAge “If you lean into groups of people who are being ignored by marketers, the halo effect on your brand can be phenomenal.” If it pays off, the brand halo can last for years, but this is not without risk. Mildenhall added “Take Coke’s “Hilltop” ad for example” Mildenhall said, claiming his mother was “shocked” by the racially diverse perfectly hippie trendy advert.