So how can the private buyer’s attention be captured and demand increased? Certainly not with ads on their Facebook feed. Today it takes more than that: more than ever, brands need to mentally engage people with inspiring stimuli or risk losing their attention and time. Businesses and brands have to be highly interesting to people. Only in that way can they capture their attention and allow emotional links to be created. We gave the target group not only a precise picture of what the online marketplace eBay has to offer them, but also something that they could actually touch and feel: The Happy Family Car.

A VW Touran is completely gutted and then given a full refit: washable seats, a magnetic play table and storage box, a fridge for drinks and snacks for all, Playstations and TV for the kids. eBay documents every step of the makeover for the media and posts various teaser films on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter: Introduction to the project, makeover, a look at the workshop, DIY advice. Films played individually and adapted for every social media channel achieving reach and engagement. We created images and editorial videos / footage. Media got quotes from eBay and the car company, as well as specific facts and figures regarding the survey and components of the car. eBay also partners with influencers in the area of “parents” and, for example, with celebrity mums. Challenge solved? Only a reality check can answer that. eBay invites a family and the press for a test drive.

The result: media, influencers, the social web, the test family – all happy! 820,000 Facebook views with a CPV of $0.01. Bloggers and influencers are wowed and write test reports. There is huge media interest. The daily press, online TV, special interest titles and TV magazines report throughout Germany in a total of 235 media stories. Total reach: 52 million. But best of all: eBay records significantly increased interest in car parts. For tyres alone, sales figures are up by 9%.