To grow eBay’s social currency and credibility among the streetwear and sneaker community, P&C built a multi-faceted approach to reach its target community across traditional media relations, social media integration, influencer relations and a virtual sneaker seller event. 

An exclusive announcement was coordinated with Canada’s number one news outlet for sneaker enthusiasts - Complex - to formally announce the launch in Canada, followed by a limited-time partnership with notable NBA player RJ Barrett. RJ kicked-off a robust integrated plan with great fanfare to help generate awareness and consideration of the Canadian launch. Pulling from his Canadian roots and his authority in the sneaker/streetwear space, his love of both eBay and sneakers provided a media hook unique for the eBay brand in Canada. RJ participated in a media day and produced video content to further enhance the campaign across PR and marketing initiatives. To further drive excitement and build an eBay sneaker community, eBay sent influential sneaker enthusiasts a surprise curated sneaker and doughnut mailer we coined ‘sneak ’n eat’, designed to introduce recipients to Authenticity Guarantee. The hype around the surprise mailer was meant to replicate excitement around a “sneaker drop” to build awareness and drive cachet for the brand.

Each partner received a custom-designed ‘shoe meets doughnut box’ with eBay branding and key messages built into it. The mailer included custom colour doughnuts that showcased the Authenticity Guarantee tag, and colourway designed to match their surprise sneakers to sweeten the deal. Additional materials included a personalized note card with key messaging, AG infographic and information card. 

To complement the earned social media approach, a paid influencer program was implemented to further drive brand messaging around trust, credibility and authentic style in a two-post series across Instagram and TikTok. Select partners from this program were leveraged for media relations efforts to further amplify community voices and align the sneakerhead community with eBay. 

Taking the community one step further, partners were leveraged in eBay Canada’s first-ever sneaker seller event, PostUp, where eBay store owners had a space to hear tips and tricks on selling sneakers on eBay. Tyrone Edwards, host of etalk hosted the event, with a curated panel from top sneakerheads Briony Douglas, Andrew Miller, Tristan Banning and Hawley Dunbar.