Online marketplace Etsy, which has more than 25 million members, has launched its first cohesive global ad campaign, with the brand aiming to highlight and celebrate the uniqueness of people's lives.
The campaign is brought together by the slogan “difference makes us” and shows the breadth of the items for sale both off and online in the Etsy market. The first two spots were shot solely on an iPhone and focus on individuals taste in mugs and bedside tables.
The NASDAQ listed shopping site, which focuses on vintage and handmade items used New York City-based creative agency Office of Baby to produce the campaign.
Speaking with AdNews, Etsy’s senior director of global marketing, Andre Rickerby, says the push has the key objective of driving brand awareness and user growth around the world, with the bulk of the marketing spend going on social channels. He also notes the brand is looking to its users to help the brand generate content.
“The campaign will be advertised primarily on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram globally and focusing on ways to engage our community through social media promotions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, which we just launched,” Rickerby outlined.
“As an online marketplace, it made sense to focus on digital channels. In fact, we deliberately chose to produce a campaign that is mobile-first as the majority of visits to Etsy.com come through mobile. We’re going where our audience and potential audiences are. We also chose to develop a video-led campaign as research shows ad recall is generally higher performance from videos compared to static campaigns,” he added.
As part of the UGC offering, Etsy’s global community will be invited into the campaign, to engage with 'difference makes us' and contribute to the conversation by sharing their favourite items on social media with the hashtag #DifferenceMakesUs to demonstrate how they express their originality. The brand is also calling on their community of creative entrepreneurs to recreate and bring the campaign to life by making their own short videos, creatively integrating their unique products.
Speaking to the core idea for the campaign, Rickerby says it's about celebrating what's unique and creative about people's lives but also on the Etsy platform.
“We know that people come to Etsy to find items that represent their tastes and allow them to express their individuality,” he says. “90% of buyers say they come to Etsy for items they can’t find anywhere else. What you can discover in the Etsy market is different from what you’ll find anywhere else.”
Etsy has been around for 11 years and while the brand has advertised before, this is the first time it's chosen to launch a unified global campaign, with Rickerby saying: “In the past we’ve just scratched the surface with realising our global potential.
“We have run campaigns, often in specific local markets or with a seasonal timeframe, but have never focused on growing awareness in a cohesive global way in the same way that we are today.
“As we continue to grow globally, we want to ensure that we have a cohesive brand position, understood across all markets,” he added.
When it comes to users in Australia, Rickerby says its one of the brands key markets outside the US adding that the market has a “vibrant community” of both sellers and buyers.
“We’re launching Difference Makes Us to share our message around the world. We want more people to not just know the Etsy name, but to truly understand what our brand stands for.”
The campaign is said to continue through the Christmas season and beyond.
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