Remarkable Marketers: Meet Airbnb’s Daniel Gervais

There are some pretty remarkable people in our industry, each offering their own unique perspective to adland.

While we spend so much time learning about our peers’ career highlights, B&T, in partnership with Carat Australia, thought it high-time to dig a little deeper, and find out what makes the shining stars of our industry tick and, at times, tock.

So, for the next few weeks, we will be publishing a series of personal profiles.

Get ready to laugh, cry and be taken on an emotional rollercoaster as we hear more about adland’s most remarkable marketers.

Airbnb’s head of marketing (Australia and New Zealand), Daniel Gervais: The Deep-Thinking Worrier

I’d describe myself as an extroverted introvert. A relaxed and approachable, deep-thinking worrier.

I was born in the UK, moved to Hong Kong when I was six, then moved to Brisbane to finish high school and university. This was followed by a stint in Melbourne and then finally I landed in Sydney. I’ve jumped around a bit, and I think my character traits reflect that.

If I wasn’t a marketer, I’d probably be a PE teacher. My mum is a teacher by trade, and working with and connecting with people is something I’ve always been passionate about. So, being able to have a big impact on people’s lives made teaching an attractive career to me.

Airbnb’s CEO, Brian Chesky, is a really big thinker, so if I was ever to be called into his office, it would probably be as a result of exceeding his requests and doing something that’s landed me in a bit of trouble. The conversation would most likely be along the lines of, “You’re in trouble, but well done.”

My all-time favourite hero is my brother. He’s a couple of years younger and has learning difficulties. The way he has approached and taken hold of his life with an incredible amount of determination, hard work and patience is incredibly inspiring. He’s also made me put things in perspective and realise there’s always someone out there in a more challenging position so make the most of what you have.

Blockchain is something that I have a very general level of understanding from reading and talking to people about it, but when I actually stop and think about, or someone’s probing me with questions about it, the reality is I’ve got no idea.

One type of food I’m not a fan of is anchovies, but each time they’re presented to me, I give them one more chance. Lots of people like anchovies, and I just want to experience that same fondness towards them.

One thing I do like though is role playing with accents, which I tend to crank out at parties. I’ll admit that I also enjoy watching Britain’s Got Talent – particularly the ‘golden buzzer’ compilations on YouTube.

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