Etsy has come a long way from its humble craft beginnings.
Etsy is poised to make its first appearance in the Super Bowl next year, according to people familiar with the matter. While the online marketplace has been amping up its presence in recent years with national TV spots and holiday campaigns, this marks a new level of advertising for the 18-year-old marketer.
A spokeswoman from Etsy declined to comment.
Earlier this year, Etsy tapped Orchard to handle its creative marketing, following a review. The company had previously worked with 72andSunny. The retailer’s recent holiday campaign, its first work from the new agency relationship, was named the fourth-best ad of 2023 by Ad Age’s Creativity.
Read more: See the 40 best ads of 2023 here
Etsy’s Super Bowl plans come on the heels of staff cuts at the Brooklyn-based company. Etsy last week said it was laying off 225 employees, or 11% of its staff, as it seeks to be more efficient. It also announced the exit of Ryan Scott, who had been chief marketing officer for nearly five years. The CMO role will now merge into operations with Chief Operating Officer Raina Moskowitz working as chief operating and marketing officer moving forward. Rethinking the CMO role is a move other retailers are also making—for example, Walgreens said it is redistributing the marketing function to other executives following the exit of CMO Linh Peters.
Read more: Walgreens CMO exits
The Big Game would be a big step up for Etsy, which was founded in 2005 as a small marketplace for budding craft enthusiasts and entrepreneurs to sell their wares. A decade after its founding, Etsy went public. For the 2022 calendar year, the company reported $2.6 billion in revenue, 7.5 million active sellers and 95.1 million active buyers.
In 2022, Etsy said it spent $710.4 million on marketing costs. A 30-second Super Bowl commercial costs around around $7 million.
The retailer would join other Super Bowl newcomers for the Feb. 11 game on CBS, such as gambling brand BetMGM and Nerds, the candy brand.
While the company has been performing positively and is profitable—Etsy’s revenue rose 7% in its most recent quarter, reported in November, compared with the year-earlier period—CEO Josh Silverman recently warned of a “challenging” shopping environment.
