eBay: Old School Meets New School
A cross-generational watch campaign that earned Rolling Stone coverage and proved eBay's credibility at the intersection of fashion, culture, and horology.
MY ROLE
Watches Social Lead — Strategy, Casting Direction, Execution
PARTNERS
The Many / Los York
PLATFORM
@ebaywatches — Instagram, X (Formerly Twitter) Paid and Organic Social
OUTCOME
Blueprint for national "Meet the Authenticator" campaign, later expanded to global markets including Australia and the UK
120M+
Higher brand lift than North America benchmark
4.8% lift vs. 1.1% benchmark
30M+
Total campaign impressions across paid social
$60K+
Total thru plays at $0.04 cost per thru play
+5%
Agency or production budget — produced internally
THE PROBLEM
Luxury watch culture had a gatekeeping problem. We saw it as an opportunity.
The luxury watch category had long been dominated by a narrow definition of who a collector is: typically older, typically male, typically tied to "old world" exclusivity. That definition was already changing in culture. It just hadn't changed yet in brand marketing.
The insight was simple: watches have always been about connection, personal expression, and finding common ground with people who share your obsession. What if we made that the story? What if we paired people from completely different worlds and let the watch be the conversation?
THE PARTNER
Two episodes. Four cultural icons. Zero expected combinations.
The casting was designed to challenge assumptions about who belongs in luxury watch culture. Each pairing brought two people from contrasting walks of life whose shared passion for watches became the bridge between entirely different worlds and generations.
Episode 1 Iris Apfel & Lil Yachty
Fashion icon and cultural institution meets rapper and style disruptor. A 100-year age gap, a shared obsession with bold personal expression, and a conversation so genuine they exchanged phone numbers after filming. | Episode 2 — Featured in Ad Age Law Roach & Teyana Taylor
Legendary fashion stylist and celebrated singer-songwriter in conversation about gender norms, Black culture, and the future of fashion, anchored by their shared passion for luxury timepieces. |
Each episode centered on one long-form hero video designed to capture the intimacy and authenticity of the conversation. Bespoke Reels and Stories surrounding the hero content mixed talent soundbites with cinematic watch imagery. Episode 2 introduced Instagram Shop Collections with shoppable posts tying the narrative back to eBay's inventory.
THE EXECUTION
Culture work that moved brand health metrics.
Top-of-mind awareness among target audiences increased episode over episode, with Episode 2 driving results 1.5 points above benchmark. Both episodes generated nearly 100% positive sentiment and sparked conversation among both existing and new audiences. The female followership growth was a direct signal that the campaign's more inclusive framing of watch culture was landing with an audience the category had historically ignored.
The campaign gave back, too.
Episode 2 partnered with GLAAD to auction two of the luxury timepieces featured in the campaign. The auction raised over $60,000 that went directly to GLAAD to support the LGBTQ+ community, connecting the episode's message about breaking down norms to a tangible real-world impact.
