Thinkbox
Key Points
- eBay wanted to assert themselves as the number one place to shop for car parts and accessories
- They created a 4-part TV series on Channel 4 called Bangers: Mad for Cars
- As a result, spontaneous awareness doubled and consideration quadrupled
The Challenge
In 2023, more and more people were maintaining and fixing their cars themselves due to the cost of living crisis and the sharp increase in garage costs. In fact, car repair searches had doubled, but eBay were not getting their fair share of this growth.
eBay were the market leader in UK car parts and accessories with 54% market share but consumers didn’t seem to be aware of this and market share was falling as a result.
The brief for EssenceMediacom was to:
- Engage the car enthusiast at scale
- Drive awareness of the eBay car parts and accessories proposition
- Grow positive brand perceptions in the category
- Bring eBay to a mainstream audience
They wanted to empower people to fix their cars themselves and show how eBay’s car parts have allowed their cars to live on.
The TV Solution
EssenceMediacom thought that the best way to achieve these goals was to create a compelling TV programme and so, working with Plum Pictures, they produced a 4-part series called Bangers: Mad for Cars.
The series was hosted by car-loving rapper Tinie Tempah and F1 stunt driver Naomi Schiff. In each 60-minute episode, these two went head-to-head to find the best modern classic cars from the 80s, 90s and 00s and decide which banger was best.
In some of the shows, there were editorially relevant places for eBay to be integrated visually and verbally. For example, in one instance, Tinie broke a brake light and then used the eBay app to buy another one for the car enthusiast. In addition, they drew on eBay sales data to show popular repairs on certain cars or a history of car accessories.
The show allowed eBay to have a dialogue with car enthusiasts and connect with their important younger audience.
The Plan
The series ran in October 2023 on Channel 4 and Channel 4 Streaming with idents for eBay at the beginning and end of each episode and around each ad break.
The series was promoted on Channel 4, on social media and in press titles. eBay ran a 10-second TV commercial promoting their car parts which ran across Channel 4.
They even built a driving game on Snap where players could steer their own Banger car.
Results
- The show was a big success and drew over 2 million viewers on TV
- Spontaneous awareness doubled
- Consideration for eBay quadrupled
- Significant uplifts in brand metrics such as ‘modern brand’ – up 43% and ‘a brand for me’ – up 40%
- eBay grew market share by 1%, reversing their recent decline
As the UK’s biggest marketplace for car parts and accessories, we are big believers in keeping cars on the road for longer both affordably and sustainably. With the help of Tinie, this new show heroes some iconic modern classics, encouraging a new generation of car owners to embrace and celebrate a new lease of life for these wonderful vehicles. We are thrilled that the results from Channel 4's brand lift study indicated that viewers saw strong uplifts on brand KPIs. These included awareness, consideration, and key brand perceptions for eBay in the parts and accessories category. It was great to see the positive momentum this show gained and the clear impact on viewers. We are looking forward to continuing to champion eBay’s car parts and accessories category in 2024.
eBay
Databank
Sector: Online retail
Brand: eBay
Campaign objectives: To assert eBay as the number one place to buy car parts and accessories
Target Audience: Motorists
Budget: unknown
Campaign Dates: The series ran in October 2023
TV Usage: Sponsorship idents + 10 second spots
Production Partner: Plum Pictures
Media Agency: EssenceMediacom