The average age of an eBay sneakerhead is 39, so we set our sights on the generation driving influence, the one that is lacing up to be the key players in America's economic game: Gen Z. Our goal was to establish cultural relevance and cultivate trust with Gen Z, while positioning eBay as the go-to marketplace for their coveted sneaker grails. We met our goal by understanding that what really drives Gen Z shopping behavior is personalization. Looking to leverage this generation’s love for all things zodiac and birth years, we customized their shopping experience with eye-catching artwork so that they could find themselves within the inventory.
Seeing Gen Z’s obsession with personalization we allowed this new generation of sneakerheads to find their new sneakers with a pre-existing feature on eBay’s website. Year filters. Allowing Gen-Z to explore the vast inventory based on their own birth years. We gave this filter the glow up it deserved by curating a custom in-site shopping experience where users could browse the most iconics sneaker silhouettes from 1995-2005. Partnering with three different illustrators, we developed a bespoke visual identity for each year, making each one feel special and unique.
Recognizing TikTok as the heart of Gen Z's online presence, we then enlisted influential Gen Z sneakerhead creators to develop a content series in which they spotlit the best kicks released from their individual birth years. Browsing through the different collections and prompting their audience to find their own birth year sneakers.
The campaign achieved a staggering 72M views, 352K engagements, and 22K new followers. The resonance with the Gen Z audience translated into increased awareness and brand lift with Gen Z, garnering a newly-engaged audience and a surge in social followers. By authentically celebrating Gen Z and their birth-year grails, eBay successfully solidified its position as more than just a marketplace but a cultural touchpoint, fostering a genuine connection with the next generation of sneaker enthusiasts.
