City of Denver Excise and Licenses | Public Education Campaign for Short Term Rentals

Challenge

The City and County of Denver passed a new ordinance requiring short-term rental properties (Airbnb, HomeAway, etc.) to be properly licensed, ensuring tenant’s safety and that the proper lodging taxes are being paid. The City needed a method of quickly reaching residents who are renting their properties for fewer than 30 days at a time and educating them about the licensing process.

Solution

Stay-Legit-Denver-Logo-horizontal-RGBTo simplify the education and message recall process, the CenterTable creative services team worked with the City of Denver to develop the “Stay Legit Denver” name and related brand identity. Additionally, to mitigate confusion about the need for certification, CenterTable created a brief decision tree graphic treatment to accompany the website and education campaign.

Finally, utilizing existing City email lists and working in lockstep with representatives from Airbnb, CenterTable built a comprehensive “look-a-like” Facebook audience and launched a Facebook, pay-per-click and display advertising campaign aimed at driving new short-term rental license applications.

Results

More than 75% of Denver-based Airbnb users were licensed within two months.

Facebook/Instagram:
820,690

impressions

4,288

clicks

Display
9,433,181

impressions

4,947

clicks

Airbnb:
66,124

impressions

125

clicks

Spotify:
201,100

impressions

261

clicks

PPC:
188,390

impressions

1,476

clicks

Campaign Totals:
10,709,485

impressions

11,097

clicks