How Infographics Saved Airbnb During Covid-19

Airbnb faced a severe issue when COVID-19 hit. They were dealing with low rates of global travel and high concerns of health safety and financial security for not just Airbnb guests but hosts, too. Airbnb tackled this by using infographics that helped to restore trust, give clear transparency, and communicate updates about the situation. These visuals played a major role in their PR recovery strategy and regained trust by addressing key concerns customers and hosts had.

Sending a Clear Message Through the Chaos

One of Airbnb’s first moves to combat the crisis was introducing an infographic showing its new enhanced cleaning protocols. This gave hosts a visual step-by-step depiction to ensure they knew how to properly sanitize their rental spaces. The steps’ visual representation showed actions such as disinfecting areas often touched, clean ventilation of rooms, and a mandatory gap between bookings. This visualization of information made it accessible to a global audience.

This style of information representation helped to reassure guests of their safety by expressing the measures Airbnb hosts take to ensure it. By creating this simple visual guide, Airbnb made a straightforward narrative of prioritizing health and safety and building customer trust. 

Dealing With Refunds

COVID-19 caused a lot of cancellations, and Airbnb experienced significant backlash from both the hosts and the guests. Since infographics worked so well last time, they implemented them in a way that explained their policies in an accessible format to understand and digest, using things like timelines to highlight when you can still get a refund. This action helped alleviate all the confusion hosts and customers were having over the issue.

Hitting All Corners of The Globe

Airbnb’s infographics were translated into multiple languages in the countries that used Airbnb. This action of inclusivity reflects Airbnb’s care for not just its local market but also its global market. 

The Long Game With Trust

Infographics aren’t just a stand-alone solution; they complement other initiatives, such as broader crisis management strategies. The key to them is the simple, easy-to-digest visuals that almost everyone can understand. Airbnb uses this aspect perfectly, and through its use, we can see that the immediate concerns of its hosts and customers can be addressed.

Airbnb’s use of infographics in the PR world is a prime example. It exemplifies transparency while still showing the company’s actions for betterment and change.