Etsy’s new campaign highlights its humans in an AI-obsessed world

In a world of AI and metal robots, Etsy provides a much-needed human touch. That’s the premise of the craft marketplace’s new brand campaign, which debuted today and will run during the Olympics. The work is about Etsy’s “brand mission to keep commerce human in a world of mass production,” according to Brad Minor, who was promoted to Etsy’s first chief brand officer today after serving as VP of global brand marketing and communications. 40 under 40 entries are open The final deadline for nominations is Aug. 2 Enter here As part of the push, the New York-based Etsy is also rolling out new labels on all of its items that highlight the makers behind the products; new listings will feature “Made by,” “Designed by,” “Handpicked by,” or “Sourced by” tags with individual seller names. A 45-second TV spot juxtaposes the cold metal of a robotic arm with human hands at the potter’s wheel, woodworking and welding. “What does a robot know about love,” a voiceover asks. “The fingerprints we leave behind show how determined we are to give the world a piece of ourselves.” The TV spot is part of a robust media buy that includes linear and streaming TV, paid social ads and out-of-home. The TV and out-of-home work will run in both the U.S. and the U.K. While Orchard created the TV spot, Etsy’s internal creative team worked on both the social and out-of-home executions. Ocean Media handled media duties. Etsy’s new human-centric approach bears a stark contrast to the much-discussed Apple “Crush” ad from earlier this year. That video, which showcased an industrial robotic compressor machine crushing creative tools, was lambasted by the creative community and eventually pulled. Etsy’s campaign also comes ahead of Amazon Prime Days, the e-commerce giant’s annual two-day big-box style sales event that will begin on July 16. Also watch: Apple’s first iPad ad since ‘Crush’ “We’re putting a stake in the ground to redefine what creativity means in 2024, all while supporting small business,” wrote Minor in an email. Etsy, though, does not appear to be against machine learning. The retailer touted its AI gift finder tool in its first Super Bowl ad earlier this year. Etsy’s revenue rose 0.8% to $646 million in the first quarter, it reported in May. Yet executives warned of a “challenging environment” for consumer spending as shoppers gravitate to lower-priced discounters in an effort to save on costs.

Etsy’s new campaign highlights its humans in an AI-obsessed world

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