This article originally appeared in the November/December issue of IMPO Magazine. To view the digital version, click here.
Every so often, I’ll come across a story about a marketing campaign that’s so horribly missed the mark that it makes national news. In most cases, the creative team behind it appears to badly miscalculate how its audience will receive a joke.
One of the latest high profile flubs is from Airbnb, a website for people wishing to rent unique lodging from local hosts in 190+ countries. In this case, Airbnb launched a campaign in San Francisco after butting heads with the city over its hotel tax rates. In various branded ads posted at local bus stops and on billboards, Airbnb brings awareness to the $12 million in annual revenue it brings to the city by “suggesting” how San Francisco spend the money. One ad reads:
Dear Board of Education,
Please use some of the $12 million in hotel taxes to keep art in schools.Love,
Airbnb
Another suggests that libraries use the money to keep later hours, while an ad addressing San Francisco parking enforcement asks that they plug expired meters.
Gizmodo called the ad campaign “passive-aggressive.” Backlash, especially on social media, was swift. The negative reaction prompted Airbnb to apologize and remove the ads in short order. If I can speculate, I’d guess an unlucky marketing agency lost a big account that same day.
While I agree that this was a misfire on behalf of the company, I did muse over the concept behind the campaign. We all pay taxes; wouldn’t it be great to emblazon on a t-shirt a line item list of what every dollar should be allocated for, in our perfect world, without any negative business ramifications? The U.S. business community is constantly criticizing the federal corporate tax rate, and manufacturers are impacted by this as much as any other companies. For many who can’t or won’t pour additional dollars into lobbying, there are few outlets for adding input to the discussion on where that money goes.
So… as we enter the season of “wish lists,” I’d like to give you the opportunity to create your own: Send me your “suggestions” for the way the money your business pays in taxes is spent. We’ll compile them, and print a collection of your anonymous responses in our next issue. Besides your personal interests, I’m curious especially as to how you think the money could be spent to benefit the manufacturing industry.
While this exercise is all in good fun, it will be interesting to see which issues we can all rally around, and perhaps consider how we can do a better job of making our collective voices heard.
Email me your Wish List before December 15th at [email protected]
