Australia loves Airbnb, yet opportunities exist for brand uplift across the country—particularly in regional areas where supply and brand affinity aren’t as strong.

At the same time, Airbnb research found that waning tourism is significantly contributing to the demise of Australia’s country pubs, and consequently, country towns.

Advertising alone was not going to solve either problem, so we developed a multi-pronged PR strategy that led to a uniquely Australian solution.

Topical and authentic, with storytelling at its heart, The Country Pub Project has proven so successful, we’ve committed to partnering with rural communities for the foreseeable future.

Australia is a land of vast open spaces, scattered amongst which lie satellite towns. These regional communities loom large in the national identity, but a raft of uncontrollable circumstances are seeing them disappear. Often, the country pub is the only glue left holding these communities together—but a lack of new business is seeing them struggle to survive.

And yet, domestic travel is on the rise, with Airbnb research revealing that 70% of Australians want to see more of ‘the real Australia’. However, only 14% had stayed overnight in a country pub within the past 12 months.

As a community-driven travel brand, Airbnb saw a unique creative opportunity. By helping country pubs attract new visitors, Airbnb could put the spotlight back on country towns and support regional communities, at the same time reaccelerating growth and reigniting conversation around our brand in a market that had started to plateau.

The Country Pub Project is a sustainable tourism campaign that revives country towns by revitalising country pubs, in structure and in patronage.

While the idea is simple—encourage country pub landlords to list their accommodation with Airbnb, whilst enticing Aussies to go and stay with them—bringing it to life was a massive undertaking with many moving parts and multiple distinct target audiences.

Topicality and authenticity were identified as being integral to success and the key to driving earned media. As such, real stories told by publicans and townsfolk became the hero of the campaign, with press and editorial content providing insight from a pub goer’s perspective. At all stages, Airbnb provided advocacy, amplification, and activation of each target audience.

Our PR strategy was three-pronged:

Drive awareness amongst regional Australians about the benefits of hosting with Airbnb.

Reawaken Australia’s love of country pubs, and the unique experiences on offer.

Position Airbnb as a sustainable, authentic travel company that champions the needs of everyday Australians and local governments.

By first establishing strong partnerships with each of our country pubs and communities, we were able to gather stories that were then used to communicate our campaign message with absolute authenticity across public policy, paid media, earned media, owned channels, and a through-the-line advertising campaign featuring both national and region-specific executions.

Creative and media implementation of the PR strategy occurred over an initial campaign period of three months, in three distinct phases:

Phase One: Nominations

Airbnb launched The Country Pub project by asking Australians to nominate their favourite country pub or publican in need of a helping hand. To be eligible, pubs already had to have an accommodation offering.

Phase Two: Restorations

Six pubs across Australia received a $50,000 grant and a team of design professionals to help restore the accommodation to its former glory. Pubs were listed on Airbnb, connecting rural communities with our global community of millions.

Phase Three: Spread the word

A nationwide integrated campaign encouraged Australians to venture past their local pub and find their ‘not so local’ instead. Each channel effectively captured the nuance of pub, town and community, allowing Airbnb to turn Australia’s tyranny of distance into the campaign’s biggest drawcard.

The Country Pub Project experienced unprompted support from local communities, state tourism and national government.

Organic buzz generated 325 pieces of earned media.

Phase One saw an overwhelming response of 9000 nominations, with heartwarming stories about pubs and publicans.

Online content had an organic reach of 15.2m, with 31m total video views and an outpouring of positive sentiment across social channels.

A new category of listings featuring 50 country pubs was heroed on Airbnb’s homepage. This category grows bigger every day.

Marketing objectives were exceeded. Unaided awareness increased +6pts and brand favourability increased +3pts, seeing Airbnb overtake booking.com to regain its position as Australia’s favourite travel booking site.

Most importantly, The Country Pub Project continues to boost the economy of towns in need. Publicans have earned +30% revenue and experienced +300% occupancy, and the increase in patronage has had a positive ripple effect on other local businesses.

Airbnb’s creative teams often behave like journalists, hunting for stories and digging for insights. By spending time with our communities we discover ‘headline moments’, which are then elevated to create real human stories and authentic campaigns.

A unique solution to an existing cultural tension, The Country Pub Project came about through speaking to regional communities and discovering the true value of country pubs. Looming large in Australia’s national identity, country pubs are the very heart of the towns they serve. When a pub struggles, the town does too.

At all stages, Airbnb partnered with local communities to ensure the project came to life as a sustainable tourism initiative, with scope to continue boosting local economies beyond the initial campaign period. While our bigger ambition took a hit due to the pervasive Australian bushfires, rigorous implementation means we can now extend the campaign to those communities ravaged by fire.