Airbnb | Cuba

Airbnb’s company mission is to create a world where all 7 billion of us can belong anywhere. But as a brand, Airbnb didn’t belong. Under siege from protests and government regulatory challenges, Airbnb was an outsider themselves. To make good on our beliefs as a brand and turn the tide with Airbnb skeptics, we had to think bigger than an advertising campaign. We had to make history.

To do it, we went to the one place we knew we didn’t belong. Cuba. The idea was to bring Airbnb into Cuba guerrilla stye–reuniting two neighboring countries during the longest running embargo in the world. But as we worked towards that goal, history unfolded.

President Obama normalized relations with Cuba, opening the door for our creative idea to become the year’s biggest business idea. Making Airbnb the first American company allowed back into the country after 50 years of separation.

To date, Americans from all 50 states have visited Cuba with Airbnb. Empowering Cuban hosts to early 12x their average monthly salary.

2016 Silver Cannes Lion | PR

2016 Silver Cannes Lion | Media

2016 Cannes Shortlist | Cyber

2016 Cannes Shortlist | Media

A nod from the Obama White House

A creative idea took the controversial brand into a new era – where co-founder Brian Chesky is now a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, focusing squarely on Cuba.