How Airbnb & Etsy became crucibles of humanity

Quentin Quarantino has put his Instagram account to good use earlier too. Primarily for crowdfunding. A day after hostilities broke out between Russia and Ukraine, Quarantino shared an idea on Instagram to support Ukrainians by booking rooms for rent on Airbnb. Twenty-four hours later, hundreds of people were heeding his call and booking on Airbnbs in Ukraine as a way to send urgent monetary help and assistance to people in the hard-hit, war torn country.

Ever since, Airbnb hosts in Ukraine are being flooded with bookings from people all over the world who have no plans to visit. It is part of the creative social media campaign to funnel money directly to besieged Ukrainians who need financial assistance immediately as Russian forces bombard their country and cut off services. The idea has picked up so much momentum that according to Airbnb, on March 2 and March 3 alone, guests from around the world booked more than 61,000 nights in Ukraine. More than half of those nights were booked by Americans in show of sheer solidarity.

The appeals are also well nuanced. Supporters of the campaign urge people to book rooms as close to a check-in date as possible to ensure that the hosts receive fees quickly. Airbnb typically issues a payout about 24 hours after a guest checks in. Organisers of the campaign are also urging people to make sure the rentals are operated by individuals and not by companies so that the benefits of the benevolence reach beneficiaries without any intermediaries, or any fund leakages.

In addition to Airbnb, people are also using Etsy.com to give to Ukrainian people directly. They are buying stuff from Ukrainian sellers without any expectation of an actual product delivery. What you do is to go to Esty.com and type “digital files” in the search box. Then click “All Filters” and scroll down to “Country”. Finally, under “Custom”, type “Ukraine”. You can then use the country filter for any item sold on Etsy.com, but you do have to put something into the search bar before the filter option shows up. So if you place an order for a physical item, you just have to let the seller know upfront that you aren’t expecting them to ship anything, you just want to send them some financial and moral support.

What I found most interesting is that this is actually a great opportunity to “personalise” your giving in more ways than just sending a personal message. If you have, for example, crocheting as a hobby, you could search “crochet” and then use the filter for Ukraine to support a fellow crocheter. It might sound silly, but these simple human connections are very very meaningful, and enriching, especially when people are faced with inhumanity and hardship.

Airbnb.org, meanwhile, is also looking for a different kind of donation. The charitable arm of Airbnb has pledged to temporarily house 100,000 people fleeing the conflict to countries neighbouring Ukraine, and it is looking for people to volunteer their homes. And those not in the neighbourhood of the conflict, can sponsor these stays through making open bookings for the refugees and the evacuees. Apparently, in 2012, an Airbnb host named Shell opened her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. That kind gesture sparked a movement that led to hosts on Airbnb providing free stays for people in times of need, and eventually evolved into Airbnb.org, which is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit outfit, not visibly tied to the parent.

For Airbnb and Etsy.com, the Ukraine conflict has come as completely  unexpected brand boosters. The brand payoffs are not just confined to heart-warming consumer interactions. Airbnb, especially, has become a meeting point, and a melting pot, for emotions, human suffering, poignant tales, and yes a few smiles too.

Before this war, Airbnb was just an online marketplace that connected people who wanted to rent out their homes with people who were looking for accommodations in specific locales. Today, the brand purpose of Airbnb has moved to a much higher stratosphere. And it is not Airbnb, or its brand strategists, or its ad agency that has dictated this tectonic shift: It is its users who have redefined and re-contoured the product offering to become a vehicle of human love and compassion across borders.

What we in India need today are more than a few Quentin Quarantinos. Thinkers and doers who trigger new thoughts, initiate new actions and redefine existing landscapes through innovative thinking. In digital as well as in real life too. The recent spate of ads and campaigns on Women’s Day left me squirming; even nauseated at times. Tens of meaningless posts and videos eulogising and saluting some “rare” achievers amongst women that left 99.9999 per cent of womenfolk unt­o­u­ched and unconcerned. The wise Quara­n­­t­ino could perhaps have coaxed these bran­ds to “buy” some produce from women NGOs on Women’s Day and asked them not really to ship.  

The writer is Managing Director of Rediffusion