PEOPLES’ PASSIONS LIE AT THE HEART OF NEW EBAY BRAND PLATFORM VIA SPECIAL AND FUTUREBRAND
eBay has returned to its heritage of connecting with passionate buyers, resulting in a new brand campaign via newly appointed agency Special and Futurebrand Australia, which includes the reinvention of a much-beloved song that lies at the heart of the new integrated marketing campaign.
Says Rebecca Newton from eBay: “After 24 vibrant years in the Australian market, we’re rediscovering our roots and going back to where it all began.
“The new brand platform brings together eBay’s new marketing strategy while staying true to the very essence of eBay which is to connect people and their passions by fueling their ‘Thing’.
“eBay is shaped by its diverse community of buyers and sellers. We are celebrating these passions and showcasing how eBay helps foster those deep connections with the things people love and the communities that surround them.”
As part of the transformation, eBay engaged FutureBrand Australia to reimagine eBay’s brand strategy in the Australian market. The revised strategy connects the brand and business strategy – aligning eBay’s purpose with experience to drive growth.
FutureBrand’s ‘sprint’ methodology enabled the eBay team to fuse research, strategy and stakeholder engagement into an intensive process that explored the needs and motivations of buyers and sellers. This process helped bring to life the brand’s evolution from an online shopping mall to a retail destination for products people love.
Says Rich Curtis, CEO of FutureBrand Australia: “eBay is an iconic brand in a market that is continually changing and evolving. It’s only natural for eBay’s brand positioning in Australia to evolve and grow too.”
The brand strategy sets the strategic platform for all areas of brand communications and experiences, from brand personality to brand experience principles, to inspire the moments that matter.
Special was appointed creative agency of record, officially winning the business in a competitive pitch earlier this year. This is the first campaign from Special for eBay Australia.
The campaign celebrates the rich, textured, eclectic and wonderful universe of eBay passions encompassing the unique people and the individual ‘things’ that bring them joy and connection.
Says Lea Egan, Creative Director at Special: “What a treat to get to give this iconic brand a fresh, distinctive voice. And to get to work with such world-class partners including King She, through Revolver, and Human, who took on the daunting task of reinventing this beloved song.”
From car parts to trading cards, sneakers to pre-loved fashion and luxury handbags – the new brand platform nods both to eBay’s cultural roots and owns a space that is relevant today.
The integrated campaign is rolling out across owned, earned and paid channels including TV, Cinema, OOH and Social and Digital channels.
Client: eBay
Rebecca Newton: Chief Marketing Officer
Thanh Nguyen: Brand & Campaign Lead
Niusha Khastoui: Brand Campaign Specialist
Creative Agency: Special
Cade Heyde: Partner, CEO
Lindsey Evans: Partner, CEO
Tom Martin: Partner, CCO
Julian Schreiber: Partner, CCO
Dave Hartmann: Partner, CSO
Phoebe Fielding: Senior Strategist
Sian Binder: Creative Director
Lea Egan: Creative Director
Adam Shear: Head of Design
Sabine Schwarz: Design Director
Sevda Ćemo: Head of Film & Content Production
Wendy Gillies: Senior Producer
Nick Lilley: Head of Stills Production
Lauren Portelli: Managing Director
Jake Stopper: Team Lead
Nic Stevenson: Business Director
Branding Agency: FutureBrand Australia
Rich Curtis: CEO, Australia
Victoria Berry, Jill Hale: Brand Strategy
Sam Hughes: Brand Experience
Michael Thebridge: Brand Language
Christina Kokkinakis, Kirsty Grant: Brand Management
Media Agency: EssenceMediacom
PR Agency: Pulse
Organic Social Agency: Jack Nimble
Owned Media Agency: DEPT
Production Company: Revolver x Somesuch
King She: Director
Michael Ritchie: Owner, Managing Director
Pip Smart: Partner, Executive Producer
Alexandra Taussig: Producer
Ari Wegner: DOP
Damien Drew: Production Designer
Alice Babidge: Costume Designer
Post Production: The Editors, Traffik, Alt.VFX
Editor: Robert Lopuski
Additional Editor/Motion Designer: Scott Stirling
(through The Editors suites)
Daniel de Vue: Grade
Alt.VFX: Online
Music & Sound
Concord Music Publishing: Music Licensing
Human Worldwide: Music & Sound Mix
Stills Production
Jo Duck: Photographer
40 Comments
That looked expensive
When the PowerPoint presentation outlining the strategy becomes the campaign.
Cool. It’s 2001 again.
Wonderful production. Great track. But it’s not saying anything about what eBay is or why you should use it. Smacks of advertising people with their heads up their bums. It’ll look on the reel though.
Feels right
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mgXwfz1-ew
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXhEMdmBSbo
Someone turned the Miro Board into the Storyboard and now we’re all bored.
Ebay is fun and vital and full of inspiration and possibility. This is lonely.
Makes sense to move away from that really popular postman campaign to this mood film. Well done to all involved.
Explains why Coulson left
But what is going on with the type and alignments in outdoor? Looks like it came from a proof of concept presentation.
For you who did that thing you did.
Nice work Sian and Lea.
Incredible film craft but safe/generic idea with no real meaning. I miss the old eBay…
This is a simple, nice, elegant brand refresh beautifully produced.
Yeah, nah.
Miro board > story board > bored comment wins
What clients have they got left now?
Samsung, and….
Love the film. Not sure about the outdoor. Tapping into people’s passions is smart, there’s only one website you can find that rare piece. The sushi Carol spot was great, but it’s just selling Amazon’s next day delivery, Catch or AliExpress’ $2 headphones. Shame the outdoor lets the platform down.
Love this, simple and feels good… They don’t have to try to hard, it’s ebay for all the negative nancys hating on it : )
Pick one
Literally nothing memorable about it.
You show up with your love for good enough. Gtfo
So prickly, GAFL (insert the bird here)
Love it. Print could have worked a bit harder – but really beautiful work.
Over substance. That’s 90 seconds of my life I’ll never get back.
‘You know when anything bothers me, I just try and think of consumer products.’
waste of money – nothinkg holing it together except logo
Didn’t Volvo do this 5 years ago?
https://www.adforum.com/talent/41701864-johnny-green/work/34561747
My goodness how desparate does the Futurebrand snippet seem, it’s such an obvious strategy – they needed a whole sprint to come up with it?
…why is someone in an eBay ad enjoying the tactility you’d only experience in a brick and mortar shop?
https://vimeo.com/253956847
Why are you pointing out an ad that was done FIVE years ago. It’s also a completely different concept…
Nice ad. Not sure where the 90 seconds is playing but caught it on tele the other day. Nice to see eBay going back to their roots.
Side tangent.
We seem to have hit a wall with showing interesting people in ads.
Tattoos and pink hair and outrageous outfits.
For banks, and insurance, and eBay.
It’s like agencies are in a competition to see who can be the most insufferably woke. Catch up Australia, not even the Americans are ramming this agenda-pushing nonsense down people’s throats anymore.
They want their treatment back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7kIvIch2X4
DID YOU JUST QUESTION THE WOKE AGENDA!?
Oh crap.
Did not mean to start a wokeness debate.
Just over tattoos I guess.
Because it’s literally the exact same ad. Same song, same musicality, same visual approach, same narrative. Why would such a reputable creative agency do this so blatantly?
I don’t usually bother with the “it’s been done” links here on CB. But this replication is flooring.
The irony is Volvo is saying ‘you don’t buy more stuff to be yourself’, whereas this is saying ‘buy absolutely all the stuff to be yourself’.
If only print campaigns weren’t an afterthought of lazy creatives. If only producers valued print and fought for it . If only the suits didn’t take masterclasses in becoming obedient ‘yes’ peopl – then maybe , just maybe , print would have the space scope and budget to do what it does best. Sadly in the world of stupid hype reels and TVC that runs for a couple of weeks , print is left with a micro budget , made in a shoestring and of course it suffers.
This is so laughably wrong for eBay. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was a freaking Pinterest ad.
Slick abstract visuals are not an idea.