How Airbnb Used Social Listening to Generate Millions of Impressions in Just 24 Hours

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok in the past year, you’ve probably heard the name Alix Earle. In 2022, Earle rose to fame on TikTok by posting “get ready with me” videos and sharing her experiences as a student at the University of Miami. With over 5.3 million followers on the platform, Earle is one of TikTok’s top creators, earning up to $70,000 per sponsored post.

Earle recently took a trip to Europe with a group of 11 friends, some of whom were content creators themselves. Upon arriving in Italy, the group realized that the house they had booked through Booking.com actually didn’t exist, leaving them stranded without a place to stay.

Naturally, the group turned to TikTok to post about the situation.

Earle’s video about the group being stranded racked up over 3.9 million views and grabbed the attention of Airbnb’s social media team, who quickly stepped in.

Within 24 hours, Airbnb arranged for the group to stay at a nearby villa, apparently saving the day. Once again, Earle went on TikTok to share how Airbnb had reached out to help and posted a tour of the villa where the group moved in for the rest of their stay in Italy. This video has over 3.8 million views, casting Airbnb in a positive light.

The details of the exchange aren’t clear (Did Airbnb cover the group’s villa stay? How much was the stay worth?) but Airbnb gained nearly 4 million impressions from Earle’s post, likely for less than her typical $70,000 fee. After the group moved to Airbnb, Booking.com commented on Earle’s initial post about being stranded days later, telling the group to reach out on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to fix the issue. Although the comment appeared to be standard procedure, it came too late to resolve the group’s initial problem (being stranded) and was a missed opportunity for good press after the failed booking. Due to the slow and lackluster response, Booking.com came across as unreliable and out of touch.

Airbnb was clearly ready to pick up the ball after Booking.com dropped it and jumped at the chance to be featured. The difference in the responses of the two companies shows the importance of social listening and staying on top of conversations happening in your brand’s niche. In this case, Airbnb demonstrated social listening. The brand’s social team was keeping an eye on the travel experience of a famous creator and was ready to act when the opportunity presented itself.

Booking.com demonstrated social monitoring, providing a response rather than a solution. Ultimately, both social listening and social monitoring are important for any brand, but knowing when to reply versus when to take action can make all the difference in how a company is perceived.

Source hubspot