Innovation That Matters

A guerrilla campaign for Back Market raised awareness of the environmental benefits of refurbished phones | Photo source Daniel Romero on Unsplash

An ad campaign airdrops messages about refurbished phones to customers in Apple stores

Advertising & Marketing

The ad is for an e-commerce platform that promotes and sells renewed electronic devices from vetted suppliers

Spotted: According to Deloitte, smartphones will generate 146 million tonnes of carbon dioxides or equivalent emissions in 2022. And 83 per cent of this total will come from the manufacture, shipping, and first-year usage of the world’s most popular consumer gadget. Trading new phones for refurbished equivalents can therefore have significant environmental benefits, and this was the message communicated in a new guerrilla advertising campaign for e-commerce site Back Market.

Having built a bot to deliver smartphone alerts, the Back Market team stationed a phone outside Apple stores in London, Paris, and Berlin. The phone then delivered messages via AirDrop to customers inside the shop. People who accepted the request to visit the Back Market website received the advertising campaign for refurbished devices. Funny, unexpected and with immediately relevant content, the campaign put information about more sustainable electronic use in front of thousands of users.

Back Market emphasises the quality and cost savings of is renewed devices. Every supplier that the company works with has been fully vetted and is regularly checked for maintenance of quality standards. Back Market offers student discounts and sells much more than just smartphones and tablets. Earphones, headphones, home audio systems, video game consoles, cameras, and more are refurbished to the highest possible standard.

And to help sellers make informed decisions, Back Market labels every renewed item Fair, Good, or Excellent which correlates to average, above average or excellent levels of durability and aspects of appearance. Goods are currently available in 13 countries, and the company is growing.

E-waste is a growing problem, and innovators are taking notice. Springwise has spotted a home and business electronic recycling programme in Malaysia, and a new process that recovers metals from e-waste in seconds. 

Written by: Keely Khoury

Email: press@backmarket.com

Website: backmarket.com

Download PDF

Springwise Services:
Our expertise in spotting the latest innovations is the best resource to empower your team’s future planning.

Find out More