As sneaker culture has accelerated into the mainstream, reselling has turned sneakers into a glorified commodity at the expense of the community, and it’s turning sneakerheads off.

True sneaker fans want the product to be for the community, for the stories and for your feet, not for Sotheby's auctions, museum pedestals or stock exchanges

In 2021, eBay launched their Authenticity Guarantee programme, which saw the marketplace verify sneakers against fakes, in the hope to rebuild trust within a volatile market where profit is trumps everything.

To continue connecting eBay with the sneakerhead community and audience, showing they were on the side of genuine enthusiasts, our box fresh idea, OG Drops, was developed to help sneakerheads get their feet into real sneakers, for less.

eBay launched OG Drops, a platform that gives sneakerheads a second chance to cop iconic sneakers at their original retail price.

Usually, you only get one chance to buy the most hyped sneakers. If you miss the original drop at the original price, your only option is to buy through the resale market, where you may find those sneakers now cost hundreds or even thousands.

OG Drops winds back the clock, dropping iconic sneakers for a second time so fans have a chance to beat those resale prices. Sneakerheads were able to join the OG Drops physical event or online drop, entering a draw to pay the OG price for their dream sneakers.

Using internal eBay data that showed sneakers were being searched more than ever on the platform, we developed key messaging to position eBay as a go-to destination for hyped sneakers, alongside OG Drop - specific straplines to grab the attention of media and consumers.

Taking a phased approach, with different drumbeat moments allowed each element to shine and additional messaging to be weaved in according to the stage of the campaign. The assets presented alongside the campaign were tailored to the target audience, and the talent was chosen to be authentic to the community.

Different objectives were also planned out across the two main media peaks. The first, saw us gain trust from the sneakerhead community through targeting industry media. In the second peak, as we now had the Sneakerhead media on side, we were able to make the approach more mainstream with lifestyle and music media.

The execution consisted of a UK-wide online raffle, supported by internal eBay data. The charity raffle featured coveted pairs of sneakers at their original retail price instead of their unaffordable resale one.

To bring this to life, we hosted events for over 60 people across iconic venues, in a London chicken shop and Manchester music venue, hosting public and media – including Hypebeast, Complex, Sole Supplier, The Sun, Pause and Refinery 29.

Press releases were drafted for the raffle and venue reveal, with personalised pitches for each targeted media title and journalist. Custom assets were created, displaying the price difference between resale market sneakers and those being raffled by eBay.

We offered interviews with the campaign’s talent, extending the relevance of OG Drops when the in-person event had taken place but the online raffle was still live.

The campaign spanned over 6 months, with two 3-week media outreach spikes.

For the campaign, including two activations, over 20 pieces of coverage were secured, across consumer fashion and retail press, as well as B2B titles such as Business Insider. All pieces focused on both the problem which had been set up around the demand for sneakers and the solution eBay presented with OG Drops, opening the hyped market to everyone.

Each piece of media coverage either included either the custom artwork designed for the campaign or imagery taken at the two activation events in London and Manchester. Similarly, 100% of the coverage was of positive sentiment and included key brand messaging and an explicit mention of eBay and/or OG Drops.

Comprehension of eBay’s Authentication Guarantee programme for Sneakers, increased between the two events, which took place 6 months apart. While initial attendee questions at the first event were around authentication processes, the second saw people ask questions on what the next steps would be for eBay and OG Drops.

The ongoing campaign throughout 2022, has helped eBay to regain a leading share of voice across the Sneaker resale market.

Total pieces of coverage: 21

Sentiment: 100% Positive

Reach: 55.25M

Engagement: 26,000

Sneaker category growth: 30% YOY