Title	GERMANY´S FIRST SNEAKERS ART GALLERY
Brand	EBAY
Product/Service	EBAY SNEAKER SPOT
Category	C05. Influencer Communication & Social Amplification
Entrant	ACHTUNG! Hamburg, GERMANY
Idea Creation	ACHTUNG! Hamburg, GERMANY
PR	ACHTUNG! Hamburg, GERMANY

Name	Company	Position
Mirko Kaminski	achtung! GmbH	CEO

The Campaign

The target group that eBay wants to attract was previously extremely distanced from the brand. For them eBay is too mainstream and commercial. Getting two powerful influencers to speak on its behalf while not jeopardizing but boosting credibility on both sides, is new for a “corporate company” like eBay. Although eBay is a strong brand, it puts itself in the background to open the stage to real sneaker heads.

Execution

In a hip street art gallery in Hamburg Joy Denalane and Christopher Blumenthal present the most exotic sneakers available on eBay to sneaker fans, bloggers, lifestyle and fashion media and daily press. They report through their own Social Media channels and host other guest bloggers and sneakerheads. As curators they also guide TV teams and journalists through the four days opened gallery. Blumenthal puts together his own sneaker collection, and Denalane signs drawings of sneaker models. The “Sneakers Art Gallery” becomes THE hot spot for sneaker fans.

The gallery attracts attention from top media outlets like Germany´s biggest newspaper Bild and the most important lifestyle and fashion magazine Brigitte, and is featured on TV. The extent of the positive feedback received on both Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) and important sneaker forums are incredible. Social Media reach passes 15 million and the total reach across all channels is 320 million! Searches for sneakers on eBay rise by 43%. Fashion bloggers propose partnerships and brands like Nike and Asics suddenly express interest in working with eBay. Sneaker fans and buyers now see eBay as a sneaker treasure trove.

The Situation

By means of great sensitivity, eBay has reached a target group that was distanced from the brand. Getting two influencers to speak on its behalf while not jeopardizing but boosting credibility on both sides, is anything but matter of course for a “corporate company” like eBay. eBay has implanted itself in fans’ heads as a source of sneakers and has made the “Sneakers Art Gallery” into the scene’s number one talking point. An increase in demand on the platform, way beyond the set target, a buzz in media and partnering offers from bloggers and sneaker brands confirm this exceptional success.

The Strategy

eBay wants to attract not only bloggers and opinion leaders but also lifestyle and fashion media and daily press. It is important that the idea did not come solely from eBay, as it would lack credibility. So eBay make way for real sneaker fans: Joy Denalane and Christopher Blumenthal. Joy Denalane is a well-known singer in Germany and passionate sneaker collector. Christopher Blumenthal manages Germany’s first and also one of its biggest sneaker blogs: Deadstock! In the run-up of the pop-up gallery eBay provides the two hosts with special supporting material like images and facts and figures about sneaker on eBay to draw in their fans. It arranges interviews with Joy Denalane, prize draws of Meet and Greet and limited sneaker in cooperation with magazines and sneaker blogs. After that eBay transforms a street art gallery into the ‘Sneaker Art Gallery’ and appoint the two leading sneakerheads as curators.