TLDR
Airbnb is running a paid campaign through Wesfarmers' OneReach retail media network, using Bunnings stores, screens and digital channels to recruit Australian hosts until December 2026. Eight 'Host Ready' workshops are running in Bunnings stores in Melbourne and South-East Queensland until early November. Airbnb's own data shows 38% of Australian hosts list to cover rising living costs.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
What the campaign does
The pitch is that a home improvement project, such as refreshing a spare room or upgrading an outdoor area, can be the first step to hosting. The campaign encourages homeowners to list spare rooms, granny flats or whole homes while they are away.[1] Bunnings' DIY advice section carries a guide to turning a home into an Airbnb listing, built around a Central Coast host who converted his garage into a granny flat.[2]
The channel mix runs across in-store screens, radio, a mini-magazine, email direct marketing, off-network premium display and social media. Eight 'Host Ready' workshops were scheduled inside Bunnings stores across Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane between late September and early November 2026, with experienced Airbnb hosts and Bunnings staff on hand to advise would-be hosts.[3] The campaign page on bunnings.com.au links to Airbnb's hosting sign-up.[1]
Why Bunnings shoppers are the target
Airbnb's own data shows 38% of Australian hosts list to cover rising living costs, and 54% have directed their hosting earnings toward everyday needs.[3] Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb's country manager for Australia and New Zealand, said: "Growing our host community means helping more Australians to see what is possible within their own homes and to help unlock new earning opportunities." Bunnings was the way in. "By partnering with Bunnings, we can reach homeowners in an environment where they are already thinking about their space," she said. [3]
Justine Mills, Director of Marketing and Retail Media at Bunnings, pointed to the retailer's existing relationship with home-improvement intent. "At Bunnings, we see firsthand how passionate Australians are about improving their homes and making them work harder for their lifestyle and needs," Mills said.[3]
Why it matters for retail media
OneReach is Wesfarmers' retail media network, and Airbnb's campaign uses most of it: an in-store mini-magazine, a digital content hub, eDMs, in-store screens, radio, off-network premium display and social, running until December.[3] Airbnb has no product in a Bunnings aisle. It is buying the retailer's audience and its in-store moments for a purpose outside the hardware category, which is the kind of non-endemic deal retail media networks need to grow beyond their own suppliers' trade budgets.
Bunnings has also given the brand its own staff time in the workshops. Mills framed it as customer advice rather than advertising: "This partnership brings together practical home improvement ideas and hosting inspiration to help customers unlock the potential of spaces that may otherwise be underused."[3] For Australian marketers weighing retail media, it shows a network willing to put a third-party brand inside its store experience, not just on its screens. It also lands while short-term rentals remain a live housing issue, and the campaign page carries a disclaimer that earnings depend on availability, price and local demand.[1]
SOURCES & CITATIONS
Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.
