Typography doesn't feel like a moat to me. If a competitor offered better service than AirBnB, nobody would stick around solely because of the typeface. Best you can say is, good design could contribute to a moat, and typography is one part of that.
Also, Wal-Mart's logo is set in Myriad Bold. They made slight alterations to the W, A, and T characters.
Re:Airbnb's new typeface
by mannykannot on Tuesday May 15, 2018 @06:27PM
(#17078466)
> Now every time you drive past a Wal-Mart, the font tells that story before you even walk into the store.
If so for me, then it must be subliminal, as I had not even noticed the typeface. If the message is 'bland' and 'unexceptional', then at least I have not been subliminally misled.
The key differentiator between AirBnB and a hotel is the community. By adopting a more flippant variation of the well-known humanist sans-serif fonts, they're communicating that their experience is more about the people and the connections than just the physical infrastructure of a boring old Helvetica hotel.
Having their own typeface is good strategically because it helps to create a moat around the product experience.
It's similar to how Wal-Mart created their own typeface to double down on their American-as-apple-pie branding. Now every time you drive past a Wal-Mart, the font tells that story before you even walk into the store.