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AirBnb took the opposite approach of Expedia, Booking, VRBO, etc. Instead of focusing on SEO and paid search like the incumbents, AirBnb focused on brand. Grea
by josephjrobison 6y ago
AirBnb took the opposite approach of Expedia, Booking, VRBO, etc. Instead of focusing on SEO and paid search like the incumbents, AirBnb focused on brand.
Great breakdown by Casey Winters on the strategies - https://news.greylock.com/four-strategies-to-win-big-with-low-frequency-marketplaces-cf046883bc5c https://news.greylock.com/four-strategies-to-win-big-with-lo... - showing that there are different strategies, and not one absolute best.
- yowlingcat 6y agoGreat article. But I think that saying "AirBNB focused on brand" is almost literally a misinterpretation: "Brand is an extension of the Airbnb model, not its own strategy. If the product doesn’t deliver on a differentiated experience, brand building usually does not create loyalty." This post seems to say that AirBNB didn't just focus on brand, but they innovated on /somehow/ making booking UX "10x" (let's leave the ostensible 10 aside for a moment and just say "a lot" instead) better than incumbents. But that requires a durable product advantage, one that consistently creates a differentiated experience. It's more accurate to say that brand is a downstream side effect of the core product than a sole or primary focus.