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 style––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. And because we were already working towards entering Cuba, Airbnb was able to be the first American company allowed back into the country after 50 years of separation.

A single creative idea sparked a business opportunity that unfolded over the course of 18 months.

By April 2015, Airbnb worked through the realities of political tension, state controlled media, and internet restrictions to announce that 2,000 Cuban listings were available for booking.

We marked the announcement by showing up next to the news that we created––with full page ads in major US newspapers proclaiming: “One giant leap for man’s kindness.”

A year later, Airbnb co founder and CEO, Brian Chesky, was interviewed by President Obama about the company’s impact on bringing the two countries closer together.

Again, we marked the announcement with iconic ads, and potent animations on Twitter which proclaimed, through the act of home sharing, Cubans and Americans were truly becoming neighbors again.

It was an idea that transcended advertising, blurred the lines between marketing and business, creating a historic moment with Airbnb at the center.

Two years ago, Airbnb was a travel and hospitality outsider, operating in legal grey area amongst mixed reactions, boycotts, and government opposition. Until a creative idea took the controversial digital brand into a country without Internet and made it their biggest news story of the year.

Today, Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky, is a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship, focusing efforts squarely on Cuba. Bringing Airbnb into a new era of legitimacy with a resounding endorsement by President Obama himself.

Most importantly, the idea has helped connect two estranged countries, bringing the brand one step closer to a world where all 7 billion of us can really belong anywhere.

- WIth 1,000 unique articles, it was the biggest moment in the brand’s history.

- Over 2 billion impressions.

- Americans from all 50 states have visited Cuba with Airbnb.

- Empowering Cuban hosts to earn 12x their average monthly salary.

What began as a creative idea to bring Airbnb into Cuba became the year’s biggest business opportunity. As the first U.S. brand to enter the country, Airbnb facilitated Americans from all 50 states visiting Cuba, getting to know their neighbors again for the first time in over 50 years.

For the 18 million U.S. travelers in Airbnb’s core demographic, travel isn’t an escape from everyday life. It is life. Travel gives them purpose, defining them and their world view.

For Airbnb to appeal to those travelers who believe in truly belonging anywhere, we turned to where we didn’t belong. Cuba. The strategy was to find a backdoor into Cuba, bringing the hope of belonging back for Americans and Cubans.

After President Obama’s announcement, we had to act fast. Instead of imposing our identity on top of the Cuban culture, Airbnb’s strategy was to partner directly with the Cuban people, empowering entrepreneurs and communities across the country. Simultaneously appealing to the values of our core demographic and their beliefs.

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. If the brand was to continue to champion belonging, we needed legitimacy first.