Squarespace hopes to lure in Aussie entrepreneurs with new ad

Just a few months on from the website-building company‘s Super Bowl ad hit featuring HBO Euphoria star Zendaya as an ambitious seashell-selling business woman, the US-founded brand has revealed dropped its second major Australian ad campaign

Squarespace has has dropped its second major Australian ad campaign.

Move over Zendaya – Donna and Gazza from Australia are here, front and centre in Squarespace’s new campaign angle that’s all about Australian homegrown entrepreneurs in the making.

Just a few months on from the website-building company‘s Super Bowl ad hit featuring HBO Euphoria star Zendaya as an ambitious seashell-selling business woman, the US-founded brand has revealed its second major Australian ad campaign.

Leaning in to its 2021 globally launched brand vision of “Everything To Sell Anything,” the New York Stock Exchange-listed business is hoping to catch a slice of the e-commerce boom action by appealing to those with weird and wonderful ideas on monetising their passions.

A playful riff on the tagline, the two new ads include “The Gunna Do It” spot featuring Donna and her unique ways to make money, and “The Ideas Man” ad starring Gazza.

From limo-jetskis to a medieval workout trend and, of course, a chicken schnitty reference thrown in, the ads follow the journey of both protagonists who have amazing ideas but, alas, have not yet made them a reality.

Showing that Squarespace can help creators and entrepreneurs with any idea they have, the campaign was brought to life by Squarespace’s in-house creative team, which includes its chief creative officer David Lee.

“No matter how big the ideas, we want to inspire entrepreneurs and creators to bring them to life with Squarespace,” said Mr Lee.

“Squarespace gives people the opportunity to monetise what they love and this is particularly invaluable with the rise of new industries and growing the creator economy.”

Mr Lee, a former Wieden + Kennedy and TBWA/Worldwide New York ad agency exec, joined the company in 2013 and opted to build out its creative team in-house, rather than have one main retained agency on board.

Gazza has some big business ideas

Directed by Nick Kelly of MOFA, who has directed many well-known Australian ads for brands such as Toyota, Uber Eats, Myer and Canadian Club, the campaign is rolling out across TV, radio, online video, and social media.

Research from the 2021 Australia Post eCommerce Industry report shows the pandemic fast-forwarded e-commerce adoption, with online shopping growth for the 12 months to December 31 topping 57 per cent year on year.

Coupled with its own research showing that the post-pandemic e-commerce boom has created new expectations for businesses – with 62 per cent of Australians saying businesses with a poorly designed website are not trustworthy – Squarespace is confident ist creative will cut through.

The brand’s first-ever Australian-specific campaign, “Make a Name for Yourself”, which spoke to the unique Australian phenomenon of giving and receiving nicknames, launched in May last year.

Since the launch of this 2021 campaign, Squarespace said it had seen an increase in its local customer presence and last year made its first local hire for head of marketing Australia and New Zealand. Former Uber and Diageo marketer James Rollin took up the post, relocating back to Sydney after working in New York.

While the new ad may not scoop the 18 million-plus views its Super Bowl smash did, the campaign, coupled with a current ­customer-facing hiring spree, shows that the brand is serious about the market.