GOOD DAY, READERS.

Airbnb has spent four years reversing the marketing shift it became famous for during the Covid pandemic, writes Skift founder and CEO Rafat Ali, who tracked the company's SEC filings since 2020.

Brand and performance marketing fell to $119 million in the first quarter of 2021, down 45%, as Airbnb built its identity on not needing to pay for traffic. By 2026, that spending had accelerated to 35% growth in Q1 and 30% in Q2, reaching $1.09 billion for the half. The question: What is Airbnb's marketing philosophy today, now that the budget looks nothing like the one the company described in 2021?

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Airbnb's Marketing Shift