Ad of the Month - Etsy
At Human Made Machine, we tell you whether your creative will be effective with your target audience. This is crucial, as creative contributes up to 70% of a campaign's success. We test thousands of creatives each month in realistic, simulated media environments using the gold standard of control/exposed experiments to predict real-world impact. To dig deeper into performance, we collect qualitative and quantitative data, analyzing what works - and why.
In our latest edition of Ad of the Month, we turn our attention to retailers in the US. Retailer ads have a tough job, not just influencing what we buy but where we buy it, whether bricks and mortar or online. A concerted brand building effort is needed to influence this behaviour, as established habit and physical proximity hold considerable sway. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen retailers lean into seasonality in order to position themselves strongly with shoppers, either through summer themed commercials or appealing to those shopping for Father’s Day gifts, which fell on June 15th in the US.
Retailers ultimately want to sell their seasonal product range. June’s Ad of the Month blends functional salesmanship with well-crafted style, setting itself apart from others which tends to lean more towards one or the other.
Etsy Father's Day
Etsy struck a chord with this Instagram ad by offering a useful gift buying guide to Father’s Day shoppers, covering different budget ranges and dad personalities. The approach resulted in lift for Etsy across brand Favorability, Consideration, and near term Purchase Intent.
While it strikes a relatively low-key tone, the ad is distinctive and original enough to earn a Breakthrough score of 7/10. Instagram is a distracting environment where we know being able to stand out is essential for success. The approach is in keeping with the social media context, featuring an influencer-like spokesperson running through her top picks. Right away she asks ‘I have a question, are you looking for a Father’s Day gift that feels really special’, capturing the attention of those who are doing just that. Throughout, she speaks conversationally to the viewer using phrases popular on social media (‘you could literally get him a collapsible grill’, ‘he’d feel like such a king’), which keeps things engaging and avoids a bland product list.
The ad is strongest on Rational Appeal, however, where it scores 8/10. In particular, it is in the top 1% of ads for Relevance. It taps into a real consumer need - finding a gift in time for Father’s Day which is within budget and feels special. It has something for everyone, and by presenting such a range of options it manages to combine broad appeal with personal touches, speaking to different interests (‘if you two travel together’, ‘if he’s a watch guy’, ‘if he’s a music guy’). The structure also contributes to success. On Instagram, where viewers tend to quickly scroll away from content, viewership declines throughout the length of the ad. The ad starts with the lowest cost options which are relevant to the widest range of people, before moving on to increasing price points, so those with the highest budgets know to keep watching.
At HMM we analyze thousands of qualitative responses to ads (i.e. real human feedback) using AI-powered topic modelling. This helps us understand the key themes that resonate with your audience. This feedback shows us why people loved the ad in their own words:
“It doesn’t go too slow or too fast. I liked that the person in the video gave examples of products you can find on Etsy and talked about their good qualities.”
“The ad gives inspiration and ideas for Father’s Day gifts while also addressing different price ranges. I like the variety.”
“The gift ideas mentioned are items I’d consider gifting. Bookmarking Etsy in preparation for the holidays.”
On Engagement (the ad’s ability to build and strengthen emotional brand connections) there is some room for improvement. There was little in the way of distinctive brand assets or cues, and while viewers found the ad useful and enjoyable, it didn’t elicit a strong emotional response. This did not prevent the ad succeeding at driving brand lift, but sustainable long term growth outside of seasonal peaks may require a more fully fleshed out branding strategy.
A further note of caution to Etsy - relying solely on cute cats does not result in successful ads. It also ran the following ad which people found irrelevant, lacking in product appeal, and a poor representation of the brand.
Honourable Mentions
Honourable mentions this month saw retailer brands try to capture the summer mood.
Macy's Summer Vibe
Macy's ran a highly visually appealing ad with sociable scenes of summer fashion, food, drink and games. The joyful mood helped it achieve a lift in brand Favorability. Compared to our winner, though, it was light on messaging and did not speak directly to the viewer in the same way.
Walmart Summer Ready
Walmart meanwhile took a more direct approach, running an Instagram ad promoting the summer beauty products available at its stores. The beach imagery was simple, but enough to reinforce the message, resulting in a lift in immediate Purchase Intent.
Etsy won out this time by addressing seasonal needs in a way which was useful and gave shoppers a strong rational reason to visit, while adding enough personal human touch to maintain interest. Strengthening brand assets, and delivering on them consistently, would help position the brand for sustained growth in the future.
At Human Made Machine, we help our partners identify creative that truly resonates and turn that understanding into confident, effective advertising.
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