Mock Airbnb Ads turn lemons into tasty meme-lemonade
In the internet era, the time it takes to move from event to backlash to inevitable outrage to furious backpedaling to outright parody occurs faster than the time it'll take for someone to create a hashtag highlighting the controversy.
This week's example comes to us courtesy of Airbnb ads placed around San Francisco in an attempt to demonstrate to the city's populace that it is more friend than foe. The ads, which were intended to show how the company gives back to the city via the taxes it begrudgingly began paying last year, were not well received. Perhaps it was the passive-aggressive tone, perhaps its the current volatile nature of politics in San Francisco or perhaps it's the frustrations of the citizenry but it took next to no time at all before internet users started to create their own "ads" demonstrating how they felt.
While Airbnb has issued an apology and started removing the ads, the internet neither forgets nor forgives. From KQED to the League of Pissed Off Voters, several parody versions of the ads can now be found — effectively creating a meme out of the offending content and twisting its message to reflect the feelings of critics.
Below is a selection of the altered ads from Twitter user @loudgayamerica that pointedly examine the relationship the tech giant has with the city, the Mayors office, and the people who live here. Care to see more? Just search for the #Airbnbfail tag online.