Airbnb has appointed its first head of marketing to lead activity in the local market, naming Ben Hallam, former account director at Ogilvy & Mather, as its brand marketing lead.
He will lead Airbnb's marketing strategy as it enters its next phase of growth.
When Airbnb's global CMO Jonathan Mildenhall was in Sydney last year AdNews sat down with him to talk about the development of the brand. He said at the time that Airbnb was looking for a local marketing lead but that person would have to be a “rockstar”.
For the last two years, Hallam has run the Coca-Cola account at Ogilvy & Mather Sydney as group director.
He has also held senior account roles at Y&R Group in Sydney and worked with Publicis in Singapore where he lead the Procter & Gamble team.
"Australia and New Zealand are home to some of the biggest users of Airbnb in the world. I am honoured to join this iconic brand and to have the opportunity to lead our Marketing efforts in these dynamic markets," Hallam tells AdNews.
Earlier this year, as revealed by AdNews, Airbnb launched a new brand positioning with a global campaign that focused on Airbnb's ability to help travellers really “live” in a new place – not just visit.
It is also currently looking to evolve what it offers beyond rooms to local services such as gyms, cafes and other community ventures. This week Airbnb launched a campaign that urges acceptance of diversity, following a number of alleged acts of discrimination across its platform.
Read the profile interview with Mildenhall here: The Marketer: Disrupt or be disrupted
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop me a line at rosiebaker@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day. Need a job? Visit adnewsjobs.com.au.