Mark Deane

A winning submission for Airbnb’s #OneLessStranger competition to capture inventive ways to meet a stranger.

In our everyday life we see a lot of people, most of them are just passerby, to whom we don't give any attention. Not even something as simple as a warm smile. Our idea was to break these distances in our lifes, if even for only a few moments. We decided to give away balloons, to which we attached a short message encouringing people to look arround them and to find a person with a matching balloon. After they met they were encouraged to join in our made up living room on the bridge which simbolizes connectivty. We offered tea and biscuits. Then we invited them to write up a positive message for the world.Pairs of balloons were sent up into the air delivering their messages to the other strangers who they haven't yet met.

This is a great idea because unlike some other entries this gives people something in common to focus on, the relationship then is focussed on the similarity of the balloon rather than the question of similarities and differences between the two strangers. If you think about a job or a football team people from different backgrounds and cultures come together under one focussed concept of the job/business or football team.

New Blood Entry — Be Someone Else Airbnb / 2015

Travel to any city around the world not just to belong, but also to live another version of yourself. Unlock the gates of a French castle, sail over the seven seas on a majestic yacht or escape to a treehouse in a castaway island. Introducing the Be & Be feature, a new way to book a place on Airbnb. Instead of choosing where you want to go, pick who you want to be. You can browse through 'Featured Beings’ to see the top visited destinations or search to your heart’s desire.

This is very similar to my other idea where we now live in an age where lifestyle can dictate who you want to become, you can buy into other ways of living as consumers and create a diifferent identity to the one that your tribe and community assigns to you. Before when we lived in communities everybody had their place and their role to play, whether you chose it or not... that was a pretty fixed way of being, hierarchies existed and the rich nobility would live in the castles etc, you wouldn’t have an opportunity to live that way of life.

The great thing with Airbnb is you can belong anywhere and that means that you can try different ways of living for a short amount of time which is great because if you were curious about what it felt like to live in Paris as a Parisian you can now buy in to that and test it out.

Travel has always been about self-discovery but now with Airbnb you can get inside a culture and experience it as a local person relatively easily and therefore this opens it up to more than just the hardened traveler, it enables the average person to particiapte in a menaingful experience that has the potential to be transformative.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxWu63BrwM0)

Published on 19 May 2015

Marriott Hotels Boldly Envisions the Future of Travel

Launches “Travel Brilliantly” Campaign, Engaging Next Generation Guests

BETHESDA, MD – (June 17, 2013) – Reflecting the transformative change happening at its properties, the iconic Marriott Hotels, the signature brand of Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR), today launched a new multi-year global marketing campaign. Called “Travel Brilliantly,” it is a bold move amplifying the brand’s dedication to leading the future of travel. The dynamic campaign reflects the lifestyle of the next generation of travelers, who seamlessly blend work and play in a mobile and global world. The campaign includes TV, digital and mobile advertising, a new brand look and logo, and enhanced social media platforms. In addition, Marriott is launching a new website – www.travelbrilliantly.com –revealing innovations under development, as well as a co-creation platform to solicit user-generated ideas.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ykvO8UN3g0)

Published on 30 Mar 2015 A park can be a place, a passion or a state of mind. People all around America are finding their park every day. So get up. Get out there. Find your park. It might be closer than you think. Learn more at http://findyourpark.com.

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVvUNVc1c18)

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp9tOHqw78k)

Published on 3 Apr 2015 Open up a world of possibilities and discover everything travel has to offer with Marriott Hotels. Let your room revolve around you, use the Marriott Mobile App as your personal concierge, and experience what's next. Find out where you are going and let's go together.

Travel Brilliantly.

CR Blog: Airbnb launches floating house on the Thames

Airbnb has launched a floating house on the River Thames to promote its lettings website to homeowners in the capital. The charming building features two bedrooms, a bathroom and grassy garden complete with an apple tree and dog house... Designed by TBWA creative directors Steve Tidball and Nick Tidball, the brightly coloured building is described as "Primrose Hill meets Pixar". Inside, it features a working bathroom, pastel bedrooms and a sunny yellow kitchen and lounge kitted out with mid-century style furniture. The building will be cruising along the Thames until May 22, hosting events in Chelsea, Westminster and Canary Wharf before making its final stop at Putney Pier.

This is what I was thinking about things that don’t belong in places, it’s kind of the bridge between discovering new and unique places that essentially in terms of bookable accomodation aren’t really a part of our expectations, we have fixed in our minds that corporations provide hotels that all look a certain way and that to stay in somebody’s house is kind of finding a place that doesn’t belong. Also, my idea about who decides where people belong, whether a certain type of person belongs in a place is kind of like deciding whether something fits in or stands out judged by appearance.

The idea of taking an object and placing it anywhere increases peoples curiosity about things, life can be filled with sameness and homogenised experiences.