Chatting to one of my 20-something daughters inspired the subject of this week’s post: eBay’s sponsorship of Love Island. eBay didn’t just resort to a lazy logo slap at the end of the show. Instead, it has integrated itself into the jewel in ITV’s reality TV crown. And the partnership seems to be paying off. eBay UK saw a 16-fold increase in searches for ‘pre-loved clothes’ during an earlier season (1).It’s a great example of how to build a brand activation platform by doing three things: tap into a passion point angle, bring the brand idea to life and drive category usage.
1. Zoom In On a Passion Point Angle
Reality TV is is one of the biggest passion points for younger consumers. But to really be distinctive and build mental availability, you need to tap into a specific angle on a passion point. And this is what makes the eBay x Love Island partnership so smart. The brand focuses on how dressing to impress in front of millions is part of the game. By plugging into that specific moment—the outfit choices, the glow-ups, the nightly “who’s wearing what?” buzz—eBay found a natural role in the narrative. Not as an outsider looking in, but as the enabler of villa style itself.
2. Bring your brand idea to life
The partnership perfectly brings to life eBay’s brand idea of being Home to the Hottest Pre-loved Fashion. Love Island is built around transformation—new arrivals, new couples, and every evening, new outfits. The villa has become a nightly catwalk, where what you wear is part of how you win. By placing pre-loved pieces at the centre of this ritual, eBay doesn’t just advertise its offering—it demonstrates it in action. By seeing pre-loved clothes styled, worn and admired by the most talked-about personalities on TV, it shows that secondhand doesn’t mean second-best.
eBay also does a nice job of linking its brand to the Love Island concept in the ads promoting the sponsorship. These use phrases from the show related to romantic break-ups to talk about different drivers for selling clothes on eBay (see example below).
3. Drive category usage
Where this campaign really stands out is how eBay has gone beyond surface-level sponsorship to what we call “brand integration”. In this way, the activation doesn’t just raise brand awareness. It also links to the product category, driving brand usage as a result. This is shown by a 24% increase in sign-ups from sellers of second-hand or upcycled fashion items during an earlier season (1).
eBay created a shared pre-loved wardrobe for Islanders, stocked with sustainable, stylish outfits—all sourced through the platform. Each evening’s outfit change becomes a mini fashion show, sparking conversation online and off.
In conclusion, eBay’s Love Island partnership shows how to build a brand activation platform: tap into a culturally relevant passion point and link this to both your brand idea and the product category.
Sources:
