Dive Brief:
- Etsy is shining a spotlight on connection and the small moments that make a person feel understood with the launch of its 2025 holiday campaign, per a company blog post.
- Key to the effort are three TV spots featuring interconnected stories within the same community, with each ad featuring a personalized, gift-giving moment. The campaign will span TV, out-of-home, digital and social media.
- The effort will be supported with influencer partnerships that promote self-expression and original gift ideas available on Etsy. The campaign builds on themes from the online marketplace’s 2024 holiday campaign and arrives amid a leadership transition.
Dive Insight:
The latest campaign from Etsy builds upon themes introduced in last year’s effort, which pushed the message that a gift from the online marketplace helps people feel truly seen. While its 2024 holiday campaign depicted the children’s book character Waldo as “someone who’s always being searched for but rarely truly seen,” this year’s push takes a less fantastical approach, using relatable, real-world characters.
“We were inspired by the concept of ‘sonder,’ the realization that everyone around us has their own story - their own quirks, routines, and quiet impact,” said Etsy CMO Brad Minor, in a press statement. “By focusing on the people who often fade into the background, we wanted to remind viewers that the holidays are about recognition, not perfection.”
Central to the campaign are three TV ads that center on one community. Anthem spot “Drummer Boy” tells the story of a young boy whose restless tapping and fidgeting at school distracts his peers. Instead of scolding the boy, a patient teacher gifts him a set of drumsticks, inspiring him to join the school band.
Two following spots tell stories of side characters who appear in the anthem spot. “Crossing Guard” features a father and daughter who purchase a sweater for a crossing guard’s dog to protect him from the cold. A final spot, “Coach,” spotlights kids on the school’s soccer team who order a customized hat for their coach with his signature “Chins up!” phrase on it.
To support its campaign, Etsy also evolved its media mix to focus on reaching shoppers in more intentional ways, per release details. That includes its retail spots focused on linking a practical message with a personal touch, mid-funnel creative spotlighting the power of personalization and influencer partnerships that showcase individuality and Etsy’s personalized gifting options.
The latest effort from Etsy arrives amid a leadership transition. In a Q3 2025 earnings call last week, executives announced CEO Josh Silverman, who has led the company for nearly nine years, will step down, and Kruti Patel Goyal, Etsy’s president and chief growth officer, will become CEO in January.
Beyond its brand marketing, Etsy earlier this year made several updates to the seller side of its user platform, simplifying its Shop Manager dashboard and enabling some real-time feedback on listing quality before publishing. The marketplace also integrated ChatGPT’s instant checkout feature that enables users to buy products from the retail site directly from the artificial intelligence platform.
