In February last year, eBay set out on a new adventure. It left behind the idea that it is an online place for buying and selling stuff to become a world where people can explore, enjoy and share their passions. eBay’s adventure landed in Australia this month. The campaign led with an evocative montage that reminds people of the joy of having passions, however quirky they might be.
eBay Australia chief marketing officer, Rebecca Newton, and Special Australia creative directors, Sian Binder and Lea Egan took The Stable inside the “eclectic and wonderful universe of eBay passions, unique people and individual things” to find out what makes the campaign tick.
The Stable: eBay AU has shifted the World of Passions global idea from a series of individual stories about people and their passions to a collection of people and their passions. What was the thinking behind the shift?
Rebecca Newton: In the new eBay brand campaign, we wanted to shine a light on how fuelling your Thing can create a larger sense of belonging, which we see firsthand across eBay’s diverse customer base of buyers and sellers. We also wanted to celebrate the rich stories of people who come to eBay to fuel their Thing. From this insight, Everyone has a Thing was born.
TS: The new campaign is a major departure in Australia from those that have gone before here. What were the factors that made eBay want to become “a world where millions of people share interests and passions, an inspiring place that stimulates people and stories”.
RN: The decision which made eBay want to become “a world where millions of people share interests and passions, an inspiring place that stimulates people and stories” came from a desire to journey back to our roots and celebrate our heritage of connecting people with the Things they love. It reflects a desire to honour our origins of our community-driven platform, while embracing the changing dynamics of modern consumers.
We recognised that the connections formed within eBay’s community are more than just transactions. They are about passion, people, products and love. It’s the spark people ignite when they sell or find what they’re looking for. We knew this to be true of our marketplace, but we wanted to bring this to the forefront of consumers’ minds with a new Brand platform and campaign. This shift aligns with our commitment to building both diverse and vibrant communities across our platform, enriching people’s lives by enabling them to fuel their Thing.
TS: Are there plans to tie the campaign into current events as has been done overseas, connecting eBay with football passion?
RN: Our new Brand platform and campaign, Everyone has a Thing, will be a springboard for our future marcoms. Our focus has been on creating a campaign that resonates with our local audience, from car enthusiasts to fashion aficionados and every Thing in between.
TS: How did Special source and then select the people featured in the commercial?
Sian Binder & Lea Egan: It was important to us that the casting be people who were genuinely passionate collectors and enthusiasts. From the sneaker heads, to the muscle car collectors, to the vintage fashion sellers. They were all people who legitimately had a passion for those things. We also wanted the spot to represent the wonderfully interesting and eclectic culture that we all live in today. So we had to find the right mix of faces, looks and energy. We used a mix of street casting, traditional casting, and just trawling Instagram for good faces! It was a massive jigsaw but ultimately came together well.
TS: What for Special’s creatives were the most important assets in the Australian campaign?
SB & LE: We wanted this to be a big moment for the brand, and to connect emotionally, so a film was crucial. But there is a lot more to the campaign than that. Smaller assets across online film, BVOD and social talk more directly to people’s individual passions. Targeting key communities like sneaker heads, pre-loved fashion buyers and sellers, and rev heads. The OOH campaign is also massive and features the same authentic cast as the film. Again to give the sense of authenticity, scale and clearly land the platform of Everyone has a Thing.
Where the campaign began overseas:
