Airbnb

We launched Airbnb’s first large-scale campaign in Japan with the tagline: “Travel to different Wagaya (homes).”

The word wagaya means “home” in Japanese, but it conveys personal ownership and comfort—making it the opposite of gaihaku (“staying out”), the word often used for hotels. By combining wagaya with ironna (“various”), we highlighted Airbnb’s unique promise: experiencing many different “homes” around the world.

In the campaign, characters confidently introduced their Airbnb stays as if they were their own wagaya. Only at the end did we reveal the twist with the hashtag #ActuallyAirbnb—turning a familiar phrase into a surprising brand truth.