‘The human touch’: Inside Etsy’s life-by-numbers brand campaign

How do you quantify a life?

Etsy’s new campaign, “Celebrate Being Human,” takes a crack at it through numbers: “We get about 26,826 days. Seventy-six summers. We’ll have around 12 jobs. Ten fresh starts. Six best friends. Four best dog friends. All in, about 15 great loves. Three broken hearts. Five broken leases. 1,205 firsts. 2.5 billion heartbeats.”

The ad, a 60-second anthem spot created by creative shop Orchard, showcases moments that might matter for someone—and the objects, which can of course be purchased on Etsy, that might make that person reconnect with some of those special times.

Brad Minor, Etsy’s CMO, told us the campaign is aimed at connecting with audiences that might be less focused on traditional life milestones than on the specific-to-them moments.

“The numbers make something abstract feel tangible and help surface the idea that a life is made up of both big milestones and small, defining moments in between,” Minor told us in an email. “That framing also connects to how people are thinking today. There’s less focus on traditional milestone paths and more emphasis on personally defined moments of meaning.”

Throughout the spot, directed by Jess Kohl, some less-than-traditional celebrations are featured with merchandise—a one-year sobriety chip or an “officially divorced” sweatshirt. Those are the kinds of items that someone might find on an artist marketplace like Etsy.

“A lot of e-commerce is optimized around convenience and speed,” Minor said. “Etsy is different in that many purchases are tied to memory, identity, or a specific moment in time.”

The idea also came from personal experience: When Minor got his current gig as Etsy’s CMO, a friend gave him a hand-stitched scarf for his dog that read “chief barketing officer.”

“That item was also a gesture and a marker of a moment that added so much meaning,” Minor said. “And every time [my dog] wears it when I bring her to the office, it reminds [me] of both the moment, but also the thoughtfulness of my friend.”

That feeling is something the company is aiming to get across with this new campaign, which continues to re-emphasize the human makers that power its marketplace as a differentiator. Even as the campaign rolls out though, AI-generated products have proliferated across the platform, which Etsy continues to allow, according to its seller handbook.

Made for the moment

Etsy is yet another brand to zero in on humanity and realism in its advertising as AI continues to show up in workflows, search results, and consumer-facing AI-generated video creative. Etsy’s spot, like several other high-profile ads this year, was shot on film in addition to digital.

There is another, perhaps less immediately visible commitment to realism: Most of the cast used for the ad are not actors. Orchard Creative Director Christine Taffe co-wrote the script for the spot, and the brand ended up using her voice as the final voice-over—yet another touch of realism.

Minor said that the idea for the spot came in response to the “cultural shift” away from automation at all costs and toward intentional experiences. It’s something other brands are pursuing, too, not just in ad creative but also through investments in phone-free events and experiential marketing aimed at connection.

“As more of life becomes automated and impersonal, people are increasingly looking for things that feel more personal, expressive, and human,” he told us. “In a world where everything is slick, perfect, and instantly accessible, people are seeking out items that include the human touch.”

To support the campaign, Etsy is using TV, social, influencers, and partnerships to promote the effort. It is also using “more personal, community-driven moments,” working with other brands including Duolingo (to celebrate the learning journey) and Spotify (to celebrate family BBQs and other meaningful moments).

“Ultimately, we want viewers to see their own lives reflected in the work, and then feel inspired to mark those moments with something that feels personal and specific to their story,” Minor said.