StubHub looks to become the ‘number one choice’ for event tickets with ‘disruptive’ new campaign

StubHub is launching its largest UK marketing campaign to date with a focus on “time rich” Londoners as it looks to become “the clear number one choice” in buying and selling concert and event tickets.

The “They Can’t Go So You Can!” campaign, created by Scorch London and Carat, has launched with the brand’s first ever TV ad spot showcasing “disruptive ways” in which people are able to get gig tickets at the last minute, according to the brand.

The campaign will run until the end of June and is also being promoted through radio, VOD, digital, print, cinema and OOH with a focus on London commuters through advertising on the underground, telephone boxes, ATMS, taxis and roadside screens.

Greg Atkinson, head of UK marketing for StubHub, told Marketing Week: “A lot of Londoners are very time rich and in the going out mindset, and most suffer from ‘the fear of missing out’.”

He adds that the campaign is about growing awareness and consideration of StubHub with a particular focus on the London area and concertgoers, which are “a big focus” for StubHub and make up a large part of their business.

“This is our audience when it comes to going out and selling tickets,” he says. “We’ve really tried to hit a saturation point with them.”

While Atkinson claims StubHub is one of the market leaders in buying and selling tickets in the UK, he adds that the campaign, which involves a “significant increase in budget” compared to last year, is an effort for the brand to “break away from the pack” and become “the clear number one choice when it comes to buying and selling tickets”.

“In the past we’ve been a bit bland with our messaging, so we wanted to be a bit disruptive with this campaign,” he says, referring to the “emotive and funny” messaging, which he believes represents the brand’s personality.

“Our brand is here to sell fun and access to experiences,” he adds. “It’s very personal. You buy the ticket, but the experience is yours to have forever.”

StubHub has held annual radio-focused media campaigns since its launch three years ago, following in the footsteps of the brand’s efforts in the US, where it has a wider presence after launching 15 years ago.

However, the campaign is an effort for StubHub to look to other channels to spread awareness of the brand.

Atkinson says StubHub has also “ramped up spend” in its mobile app over the past six months, resulting in “quadrupled value of app ticket sales”.

He adds that investment in mobile and channels that are “very much in front of people that are going out and in that mindset” will continue to drive the brand’s marketing moving forward.

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