Gumtree connects to new audiences with video advertising and refreshed brand platform

Gumtree was founded in 2000 by two friends, with the aim of building a community where people like them could find everything they needed to settle into a new city quickly and affordably. They created a platform where people could come together to help each other in big and small ways, from securing a job, to finding a place to live, to getting furniture to fill their homes.

Gumtree has helped people buy, sell, solve, and share for over 20 years and remains one of the UK’s largest online classifieds platforms in the UK.

The platform serves a diverse community across all life stages, from new parents to students, home movers to renovators and at its core. However, as a 21-year-old brand, it struggled to reach a younger demographic, 18-30-year olds who share its passion for sustainable living and recommerce.

Never before has Gumtree been more relevant as we tackle climate change. With sustainability at the heart of its business model and a passion to build a culture of recommerce where people share more and waste less, the brand needed to reposition to ensure they could engage with this younger audience authentically, under its shared values and purpose:

“We make Good Finds happen so we can ensure that everything finds new purpose. And it’s our mission to make buying and selling second hand simpler, safer and more enjoyable for everyone.”

With the new positioning in hand, Gumtree’s next challenge was to spread the word about Good Finds, build relevance through creative and digital communications, and reach a new, younger audience through untapped channels.

Reaching younger audiences through video

Gumtree was announcing its rebrand with a major TV launch, but also wanted to support that with digital activity. To effectively communicate its new brand and reach a new, younger audience, Gumtree understood that online video was the best vehicle.

Hannah Rouch, CMO at Gumtree explains, “To build a lasting memory with consumers, it is important to engage them through your brand story. This builds relevancy and reminders about your product, including what you stand for and why it is relevant to them.”

Having partnered with Criteo for years on retargeting, Gumtree was eager to try the video advertising solution. “The Criteo video advertising is a new platform for Gumtree, providing a new digital channel and new audiences to reach,” said Pelin Ozdilek, Digital Marketing Manager. Criteo’s unique audiences and targeting enabled Gumtree to reach not just its desired demographic, but those within the age group who are currently in-market for its offerings. Access to publishers across devices, channels, and relevant ad formats ensured it could achieve the reach and scale it needed.

“Criteo’s video solution has been highly effective for us, helping us to reach our target audience at scale. In addition, the solution has also positively driven visits to our website, which despite not being a core objective, is a great sub KPI to generate, demonstrating that not only were we reaching our target audience but engaging them via the format,” added Pelin Ozdilek.

Beyond the strong performance of the video advertising campaign, which generated an 81% video completion rate and nearly five million completed views, Gumtree benefitted from the support, agility, and focus on objectives that the Criteo team supplied.

Pelin Ozdilek predicts more video campaigns with Criteo ahead. “Seeing Criteo expand to other areas like video, where we also plan to grow further, gives us a big opportunity to work together in the future.”