The story of how eBay used data to captivate sneakerheads

The Brief

The goal was to increase organic searches for eBay among three specific audiences: resellers, collectors and buyers.

The Idea

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the popularity of online thrift shopping, with platforms like Depop and StockX gaining prominence. To solidify its position as the go-to platform for thrift shopping and emphasize its authenticity guarantee to quality-conscious shoppers in the sneaker market, eBay launched a data-driven strategy leveraging Captify’s dataset of over a billion daily searches.

EssenceMediacom and Captify successfully executed a dynamic video activation campaign to target multiple audiences. The strategy effectively captured search share of voice, boosted brand searches, engaged audiences and provided valuable insights for future campaigns.

The campaign’s objectives were to raise awareness of eBay as the premier destination for buying and selling sneakers and engage relevant audiences through personalized, targeted messaging. Real-time search data was used to deliver tailored content to different audiences based on their unique interests and motivations. By utilizing search intelligence, Captify and EssenceMediacom identified new custom audiences for eBay and implemented a dynamic strategy that personalized the messaging at scale.

The Results

The dynamic video activation catered to the distinct interests and motivations of the target audiences, resulting in increased engagement. This innovative approach was a departure from eBay’s previous campaigns and yielded impressive results, surpassing the key performance indicators and driving brand consideration among all audiences.

This campaign won at The Drum Awards for Marketing EMEA 2023. Find out more about The Drum’s Global Awards program or head to our case studies hub to read more award-winning stories.