America has a problem. We consume too much. And while we all know that the U.S. is synonymous with consumption, what's less well known is that there is over $380 billion worth of goods sitting unused or stored away in U.S. households.
letgo, a mobile app for buying and selling used goods, has the big ambition to try to remedy this situation by stimulating the giant U.S. secondhand economy.
Part of the reason that the consumption of new products enchants Americans so much is the way they are marketed and sold. Hollywood style commercials and celebrity endorsements are often the foundation of these big budget brands and their advertising campaigns.
letgo knew that they needed to give their sellers selling secondhand items some way to compete with these brands, but didn't have the media dollars to promote the items being sold in the same way.
Therefore, they needed sellers to promote the items they were selling themselves. The obvious answer was to utilize the seller's social following, but selling secondhand stuff is hardly seen as exciting or glamorous, and therefore the likelihood of someone sharing a classified listing is almost nonexistent. It just doesn't happen (less than 1%).
Introducing the letgo Commercializer; the only way to create million-dollar commercials to sell secondhand stuff, without the million-dollar price tag. Complete with invaluable celebrity endorsement.
Once a seller has listed an item for sale in the app, they simply choose from one of four glossy ad styles to have a completely customized commercial created, which incorporates all the details of their item listing.
Everything from the item image, the title, description, price, location, and even the seller's name, are neatly and seamlessly woven into the action to create a funny, shareable commercial.
Sellers can choose from an epic '80s action movie trailer starring Dolph Lundgren, a male enhancement pharmaceutical ad, a home shopping segment, and a very serious perfume spot.
The four commercial styles were chosen to be instantly recognizable to the American market, but also allow virtually any product to be the hero of the spot.
Each film is carefully crafted to celebrate the brilliance of the seller's item, regardless of what it actually is, weaving the listing details into the action in a number of different ways, but staying true to the nature of the commercial style.
By making fun of well-known and often ridiculous types of advertising, sellers would generate something they would be more than happy to share, in any way they could.
A number of techniques including motion tracking, rotoscoping, frame blending, motion blur, and dynamic audio are used to ensure the imagery and details are seamlessly integrated into the finished commercial.
When rendered, the commercial can be easily shared or broadcast in any way the seller sees fit. Interested buyers who see the ad (on Facebook, Twitter, etc.) can click through and talk directly to the seller to start negotiations.
At the time of entry, the Commercializer has been live for just three months. In that time with $0 spent in media, there have been over TWO MILLION completely unique commercials for over TWO MILLION different products created and shared by letgo sellers.
In addition to helping the sellers actually sell their items, brand sentiment went through the roof (100% positive).
And Dolph Lundgren became the first man in history to star in HALF A MILLION different commercials, for HALF A MILLION completely different products.
It seems that the Commercializer has managed the unthinkable: Make classifieds entertaining and social.
And unfortunately, Dolph's royalty check continues to balloon out of control.
