The story was already there. We just helped tell it.
Research revealed what many already knew but hadn’t seen reflected in the brand: Airbnb hosts in Southeast Louisiana are our neighbors, not absentee investors. A prevailing misconception had painted a different picture, and increasingly restrictive short-term rental regulations in New Orleans were adding urgency to the conversation. MESH identified the opportunity to let the hosts speak for themselves and built an entire campaign strategy around that single, powerful idea.
Five stories. One truth.
MESH developed interview frameworks and story angles for five host profiles across New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette, each chosen to surface a distinct and emotionally resonant dimension of what it means to host with heart.
- Ethelyn (New Orleans): A retired teacher from Philadelphia who fell in love with New Orleans at 21 and never left. Hosting the apartment next to her home provides essential supplemental income on a fixed retirement budget, and she’s become one of the city’s most enthusiastic unofficial ambassadors.
- Tracie (New Orleans): A born-and-raised New Orleanian, civil rights attorney, and founder of a bakery and two catering companies. She runs her listing as ‘The Jambalaya House,’ cooking traditional dishes for every guest. Though STR regulations forced her to pivot, her commitment to community never wavered.
- Larry (Lafayette): A retired oil and gas executive who built a dream cabin with his wife—constructed by Amish craftsmen in Pennsylvania and transported to Louisiana. After her passing in 2015, Larry began hosting to keep her memory alive and share the home they built together with the world.
- Amy (Baton Rouge): A computer trainer whose hosting journey began when her daughter moved out of an attached apartment. Located near LSU, her listing became a lifeline after her divorce, and the income made the difference between keeping and losing the home she chose specifically to be across the street from her two best friends.
- Steve & Ulrike (New Orleans): A retired Jazz professor who once delivered newspapers to the very house he now lives in, and his wife, a visual artist. Together they’ve hosted guests for 13 years—a living example of what responsible, long-term hosting actually looks like.
When the story’s right, the numbers follow.
Before the campaign launched, MESH’s creative work went through Airbnb’s standard testing process. The lowest lift recorded across sentiment, trust, and reputation was +8 points. For context: that’s record-breaking by Airbnb’s own benchmarks.
