We all know that sex sells, but for brands saddled with (and even those who have purposely chosen) an image of debauchery, it can seem impossible to leave that reputation behind. For Las Vegas, known for its wild, raunchy lifestyle, and Airbnb, which has found itself at the butt of endless internet jokes about its new logo’s resemblance to, well, you know—it’s time for a Pretty Woman-esque makeover as they go for less sex and more suits, and reap the rewards of marketing leisure brands to business travelers.
The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority released a new advertising campaign featuring images of show-girls performing mundane office tasks, accompanied by the slogan “We’re here to do more than entertain you.” In the hopes of restoring pre-Recession business travel numbers, the ads remind consumers that behind the strippers and shots, there are people doing business. The LVCVA also launched a new website, www.vegasmeansbusiness.com.
While Vegas is trying to diversify its reputation, Airbnb is still establishing theirs. Until now, the new company has been seen as a cheap way for younger travelers to find a place to stay, but as they look to expand their audience, Airbnb hopes to target everyone from spring breakers to professionals moving up the corporate ladder. Jan Freitag, senior vice president of strategic development at Smith Travel Research (STR), sees millennials as the carriers of the Airbnb brand:
“Once millennials, who today use Airbnb for leisure travel, move up in their companies to positions that can dictate travel policy, Airbnb is on its way to being a legitimate accommodations choice for Fortune 1,000 corporations.”
Sex has helped both Las Vegas and Airbnb gain attention; more than half of the roughly 97,000 Twitter mentions of Airbnb last month were tweeted after the new logo was presented. But it’s time to take that attention and channel it to bring in more business. The new ad campaign for Las Vegas will hopefully draw in those who are not necessarily trying to gamble away thousands and have a shotgun wedding, but who want to have fun after a day’s work. And with its growing brand recognition, Airbnb will develop more rapidly as a company that everyone can use, not just poor teenage nomads.
The lesson? Don’t judge a brand by it’s cover, because there’s much more to Vegas and Airbnb than you think.