How BackMarket hacked the Apple Store
Electronics marketplace Back Market Airdropped messages about sustainable tech into Apple stores on Earth Day
Context
BackMarket needed to raise the profile of refurbished tech. Their ongoing communications challenge was to raise awareness for their platform, and for the benefits of buying refurbished devices, as well as changing perceptions around refurbished tech in general. They knew the environmental angle was strong, but needed a way to execute against this that wasn't preachy or dull.
Objectives
- Increase awareness of BackMarket through earned media
- Drive perceptions of quality and environmental benefits for buying refurbished tech
- Increase consideration for refurbished tech on BackMarket
Strategy
Donatienne Vaute, head of communications at BackMarket, stated that one of the brand's main challenges
‘is building desire for these older products, which is hard when competing with new flashy Apple products.'
BackMarket's approach had to catch the eye and heart of the general public - enticing them to 'trade down' to a refurbished product because they liked the BackMarket brand, because they wanted to save money, and because they wanted to help the planet.
Execution
Using a feature unique to iPhones called Airdrop (which lets Apple device users to send each other files using close-range wireless communication) Back Market sent messages to Apple devices in six stores across Paris, Berlin and London. With 'undercover agents' positioned just outside the stores, Back Market was able to Airdrop 4,000 messages to customers browsing the devices on display in the Apple Stores.
Those who accepted the Airdrop request (which appeared as a pop-up message reading, ‘“Back Market” would like to share the website “backmarket.co.uk”’) were served messages like ‘This iPhone 12 comes in pink, blue, black and greener. Switch to refurbished’ and ‘The iPhone you love without the carbon footprint you hate. Switch to refurbished’. The user could then click through to the Back Market website, where they could find a cheaper refurbished model of the product they were considering (and that they were literally holding).
Results
The campaign resulted in 90 articles, over 100m social impressions and a 27% increase in intent to purchase refurbished.
Watch
The work
