We open in the dark of the night in a wooded area. Three shaggy travelers arrive at a home, and peer in through a window. They enter and slowly observe the home in the dark. We’re not exactly sure what they are, and they feel a bit threatening. We end the night not knowing what will happen. The next morning we realize that there was nothing to fear as we watch their delightful experience staying in an Airbnb. They sip their morning tea, listen to records, go hiking, and enjoy time to together. We realize how much we are all the same when it comes to staying in an Airbnb. Their stay comes to an end, and as they leave and we reveal that perhaps they were normal people all along, and invite viewers to try hosting strangers in their own Airbnb with the line, “Strangers aren’t that strange.”

Our brains are designed to find peace in the familiar, in the known. When we don’t know what will happen, we make up scenarios and become worried. People we don't know provoke the feeling of fear—it's called Stranger Danger. Hosting is at odds with this common perception that strangers are something to fear — and that fear is the biggest thing that prevents people from hosting. Yet in reality, almost all Airbnb guests are normal, thoughtful, responsible people and families enjoying themselves on their stay, just as you would on a trip of your own. Our campaign explored this idea, with the introduction of a family that symbolized the unknown, or strangers staying in an Airbnb.