As of Friday afternoon, Airbnb listed 700 locations in Sochi, most of which were available. Meanwhile, many of the world's top sports journalists are whining about their subpar accommodations on Twitter.
What's a brand to do?
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For Airbnb, it's time for a little real-time marketing. Working with ad agency Pereira & O’Dell, it jumped on Twitter to connect journalists to some hot Sochi properties. Grantland's Katie Baker, for instance, complained of a broken doorknob, so the service directed her to a nearby locale that had fully functioning ones.
.@katiebakes Broken doorknobs? Sounds like a deal-breaker to us. Take a vacation from your hotel: http://t.co/2Q39j3RSAY #SochiProblems— Airbnb (@Airbnb) February 7, 2014
Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel, meanwhile, also had doorknob problems. Then Airbnb came to his rescue:
Hey @DanWetzel – trade you 3 spare lightbulbs for a spare bedroom. We’ll even throw in a door handle http://t.co/KXyzmbIOgH #SochiProblems— Airbnb (@Airbnb) February 7, 2014
National Post sports columnist Bruce Arthur complained about a lack of hot water. Airbnb found him a new place.
.@bruce_arthur We found your hot water & it has new friends: a heated towel rack & a cozy apartment http://t.co/0GvxjnF7aX #SochiProblems— Airbnb (@Airbnb) February 7, 2014
Airbnb has a big stage for its message: Sochi Problems, the Twitter account cataloging such woes, now has 270,000 followers.
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