Media Analysis: “Wall and Chain” Video Campaign

Marketing is known as “an advanced blend of strategy and technology”, however, the beginning of marketing is very humble with simply trying to sell goods and services (History Cooperative, 2018). Marketing started when people tried to present goods in a certain way for trading and since then, marketing starts to develop in many ways and in many forms. The Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century motivated changes in society as well as marketing. Mass production created require a different way to approach customers. In the mid-1990s, the development of the Internet became a New Revolution, which changed “not only technological but also societal” (Kaufman, 2012). Following these changes are the innovations in marketing. Nowadays, marketing is not only about purchasing products or services on customers but also earning people’s interest throughout the Internet by using different tactics and strategies including content, digital storytelling, paid media, and more (McCoy, 2018). In order to understand more about what makes marketing successful in digital world, this paper will analyze and discuss one of the most successful advertising campaigns in 2014, which is the “Wall and Chain” video campaign from Airbnb.

Airbnb is a platform launched in 2008 that connects people from around the world to find places to stay on holidays. As of March 2019, Airbnb provides access to “5+ million unique places to stay in more than 81,000 cities and 191 countries” (Airbnb, 2019). Whether you need an apartment for a night or a castle for a week, Airbnb will help you find the perfect place. In 2014, a video campaign was created for Airbnb to celebrate their 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9th, 1989 (Airbnb, 2014). The video is an animated short film named “Wall and Chain” (Airbnb, 2014). The film is based on a truly touching story which depicts “the story of the two former border guards from East and West Berlin” (Little Black Book, 2014). The main character is a West-German border guard in 1987 during the Cold War and the story is told from his daughter’s point of view (Little Black Book, 2014). After fulfilling his service, he left Berlin and moved to Denmark. Because leaving Berlin before “the reunification of East and West Germany”, he never had the chance to see the city as anything but divided (Airbnb, 2019). Therefore, in his mind, East Germany was still his enemy and it was a weight that he carried with him throughout the years. All the memories about the war, as well as the Berlin Wall, remained with him as “a psychological barrier” that kept him from experiencing the rest of the world (VCCP Berlin, n.d). One day, his daughter decided to help him overcome the inner barrier by planning a trip to Berlin to show him how beautiful Berlin had become. She booked an apartment via Airbnb and surprisingly, the owner of the apartment was also a border guard on the Berlin Wall but from the opposite side - the East side of the wall. The two former border guards from two enemy sides met again, but this time as friends (VCCP Berlin, n.d). This reconnection between the past and the present helped the father overcome the distress of the mental wall inside his mind. In the place he used to view as his enemy, he found friendship and forgiveness. Therefore, “the weight of the wall that he had always carried with him was finally able to crumble away” (Airbnb, 2019).

Throughout the short film “Wall and Chain”, we can see the infotainment factor is embedded minutely. According to Webopedia, infotainment is a new type of media that “delivers a combination of information and entertainment” (Beal, 2019). The infotainment contents are often designed to be both informative and entertaining enough to “attract and maintain the consumer's interest” (Beal, 2019). In the digital world, infotainment factor is very important because it will help convey serious information into an easier and more entertaining way to absorb. Moreover, using infotainment helps viewers remember the information longer and in more detail than the traditional way. For example, in the “Wall and Chain” animated film, infotainment factor reminds the viewers about the historical values which seem to be forgotten in the young generation’s minds. One of the most iconic historical events in human history, the Berlin Wall, is mentioned and is also the background of the film. All the memories about the war and, the different ideologies of people in the same nation are expressed in a delicate way by the two border guard characters. By only watching the one-minute film, the viewers could feel and understand why the main character, the former border guard from the West side, struggles against integrating into modern society. The viewers could imagine the inner wall in his mind that keeps him from experiencing a peaceful world. The two border guards in the film represent the two opposite types of soldiers coming home after serving military. One type of soldiers are able to overcome the obsession about the war, while the others are still struggling with it. The daughter represents the younger generation, which is also the target audience of Airbnb, who is living in a peaceful world. “War and Chain” is a film full of infotainment because it is an advertising film with the aim to increases the number of clients using Airbnb but still provide viewers with valuable information. After watching the film, the target audiences of Airbnb, the young generation, will have the respect and honor to the old soldiers who fought for freedom and independence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpAdyFdE3-c

Not only does the use of infotainment creates the success of the “Wall and Chain” video campaign but utilizing the real story and video format factors also contribute to its success. This “Wall and Chain” emotive story is based on a true story, which allows the viewers to relate it back to their own situations. Many people who lived through the Cold War and, who served in the army will definitely understand the character’s situation. Utilizing the real story will make the message that Airbnb wants to send go further and of course will draw more attention. People tend to be more sympathetic to true events because it makes an emotional connection with them. Instead of focusing on the product or service like many other companies, this “Wall and Chain” video campaign from Airbnb totally focuses on the stories and on the people. As a result, the film “owned 2.2% share of conversation around the fall of the wall and an overall 99% positive tone” (Shorty Awards, n.d). The successful key of this video campaign is also the way the story is told, which is in video format. Using video to tell the story will visualize the information and help the viewers see what is really happening. Moreover, video format also conveys a huge amount of information in a short amount time. For example, in the “Wall and Chain” short film, you can see more about the border guard in a shorter amount of time compared to text. The emotional impact of the video is also more significant than other formats because when you are telling a story through visuals and sound, you will make a more emotional connection between the video and the viewers. Using video to tell the story also allows Airbnb to share it across different social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube. As a result, the video generated “more than 5.7 million YouTube views in its first month online” (Wegert, 2014).

In conclusion, the use of infotainment, real story and video format contributed to the success of “Wall and Chain” video campaign in 2014. Marketing has changed in such a wonderful way since the beginning and it will always change because marketing creators are the ones who will push beyond limits and boundaries.