Community selling platform Gumtree wants to change its perception in market and the brand is going to use a mix of partnerships, a range of channels and clever messaging to do it.
The eBay-owned offering wants users to know there are plenty of premium brands on offer in a range of categories, including cars and fashion, ensuring people know it's not just a place for second-hand goods.
As a result it's tapping influencers, PR and social media to up its focus on reactive marketing. An example of this came when former Prime Minister Tony Abbott bought a fridge off Gumtree last December and the brand was able to garner national press coverage, highlighting all that's available on the platform.
Speaking with AdNews, Gumtree Australia's senior marketing manager, James Walmsley, explained that shifting perceptions is top of mind for the brand's marketing team, with the offering aiming to get users to actually look on the site before they use one of the major retailers.
However Walmsley says shifting perceptions isn't always easy, but by using such a mix of channels, partnerships and consistent messaging, the brand is going to give it a crack.
“Changing perceptions is difficult,” he says. “But it's about making sure we have a targeted and simple message that is easy to understand and that showcases our range. Partnerships also give us the opportunity to showcase the products that we have.”
“We've not done many partnerships over the last year – but they're something that are really important and they're something that will help us deliver an integrated message and help us deliver a perception change. Gumtree has incredibly high awareness in Australia, but when it comes to actually being able change perceptions, having strong partnerships is a real opportunity for us.”
Gumtree has paired up with the likes of Nova and Ten's The Living Room to get its message out there.
One example of the business trying to shake-up its marketing and change perceptions came when it advertised the car brands it has available on its site. Gumtree ripped of the popular Jeep ad, using the slogan “I bought a sweet Jeep on Gumtree”.
“The cars campaign recently showcased some really premium brands and showed people that those brands are available on the site,” Walmsley says. “This did a great job in shifting perceptions and we've proven that we've done it in the past. Now we just need to be consistent with our messaging.”
The brand is also pushing to ensure that its marketing team is flexible enough to be “always on” with its strategy.
“Obviously we've had a lot of quarterly integrated communications in the past but it's that mixture of having that good planned activity, but being reactive where relevant.”
“It's about being able to be nimble and quick enough to bring the communications together on a reactive activation,” he says.
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