Etsy’s holiday campaign shows a real-life ‘Where’s Waldo’

As Etsy continues to tout itself as a big gift-giving destination, it’s asking big questions. This year, that means replacing “Where” with “Who?” For its holiday campaign, the Brooklyn, New York-based retail marketplace created an anthem spot showcasing Waldo, the beloved stripe-wearing character featured in the “Where’s Waldo” illustrated series of books created in the late 1980s. The 60-second spot shows a real-life Waldo, bespectacled wearing a red-and-white striped hat and sweater, traveling the globe. Everywhere he goes, people point and gesture. Some claim they have found him. “Wherever I go they always ask ‘Where’s Waldo?’ never ‘Who’s Waldo?’” Waldo laments, before meeting up with his friend Wenda, who gives him a personalized, engraved gift that’s perfect for him. “Sometimes, it takes someone who really knows you to make you feel seen,” he says. The spot concludes with text and a voiceover that says, “Gifts that say I get you. Etsy has it.” Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 U.S. ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here The retailer worked with Orchard, its creative agency since last year, on the Waldo ad. The brand has been considering incorporating the Waldo character into its advertising for quite some time and even tested a concept with him for its first Super Bowl spot earlier this year, according to Brad Minor, chief brand officer. “In the end, it felt like such sweet, poignant idea we should hold for our own version of the Super Bowl—holidays,” he wrote in an email. (Etsy’s Super Bowl ad in February instead featured France’s gift of the Statue of Liberty to the U.S. in 1881. As of now, Etsy does not have plans to return to the Big Game in 2025.) The Waldo spot will begin running this week on linear and connected TV and social media platforms. The spot is also broken down into 6-, 15-, 20-, and 30-second versions. Etsy will begin running a seller-focused spot, created in-house, next week. That ad highlights an artisan named Alexis, who creates a personalized Christmas tree ornament for a woman whose dog recently died. Etsy will also run dozens of paid social spots, all developed in-house, as well as outdoor ads in New York, London and Washington. Etsy is honing in on cultural moments, according to Minor, who pointed to Etsy’s ad placement in a behind-the-scenes special for the upcoming movie “Wicked.” The brand will also have ads running in the “Saturday Night Live” Thanksgiving episode and several NFL and college football games. Ocean handled media duties. Super Bowl commercials Tracking the latest brand and agency plans Click here Earlier this week, Etsy reported third-quarter results that topped analyst expectations. The retailer’s revenue rose 4% to $662.4 million. The company spent $196.5 million on marketing during the quarter, a 22% increase year over year, as it seeks to differentiate its brand offerings from cheaper competitors such as Temu. Though the National Retail Federation is predicting a sales increase of 2.5% to 3.5% this holiday shopping season, retailers are still expected to pull out all the marketing stops to remain top of mind for cautious consumers, many of whom are being more deliberate with their buys by shopping earlier and researching purchases. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today

Etsy’s holiday campaign shows a real-life ‘Where’s Waldo’

Featured Stories