We wanted to share the value of staying with an Airbnb host to any traveller searching for a city’s most visited landmarks.

When someone searches for directions to well-known landmarks in a city, they’re probably tourists. So we met them with Hosted Walks by Airbnb. Hosted Walks pointed out all of the local gems along the way to the landmark. Tourists walked past a location and got a recording from a host about their experience of that place.

Through a Google search ad campaign we were able to connect with tourists, engage them with hosts’ local knowledge, and begin developing their relationship to Airbnb. And we did it all in a way that kept tourists’ eyes looking up at the city, not buried in their screens.

We directly targeted tourists by owning mobile searches for directions to well-known landmarks in Midtown Manhattan for a week. A very special week. Advertising Week. Ad Execs visiting New York searching for the sights were met with a brand new mobile service from Airbnb- Hosted Walks.

Hosted Walks knew, from their search query, where tourists wanted to go. Then, cross-referencing a vast library of local insights from hosts, we guided tourists on host-led audio tours that pointed out all the local gems around them while they walked to their destination.

Tourists got to travel like a local, without their faces glued to a screen.

We set out to prove that mobile search ads didn’t have to be boring direct sales pitches, but could instead be the foundation for big creative ideas.

Hosted Walks targeted tourists by connecting with people searching for directions to well-known landmarks. We guided them on customized walking routes pulled from real host’s local knowledge, pointing out all the local gems along the way.

Our mobile search ads that drove to Hosted Walks achieved click-through rates that beat the average by 500%.

Through a Google search ad campaign we were able to connect with tourists, engage them with hosts’ local knowledge, and begin developing their relationship to Airbnb. We took the boring old search ad and turned it into something that enriched the traveler’s experience- all while freeing their faces from their screens.