Back Market vs Mirakl

Back Market's Forshaw: AI Slop Would Make Us Look Like Idiots

In an interview with The Drum, Back Market's head of European marketing, Luke Forshaw, discusses how the refurbished-tech marketplace builds consumer trust, why sustainability alone doesn't drive sales, and where AI should be used in marketing. Forshaw stresses that refurbished devices are professionally tested, repaired and resold with warranties, distinguishing Back Market from general secondhand sellers. Price remains the biggest purchase driver in the UK, while sustainability functions as a 'cherry on the cake'. He warns that using AI too heavily in creative work could produce 'AI slop' and damage brand trust, advocating an 80–90% human, 10–20% AI split focused on reporting and audience data interpretation. He also highlights Back Market's full-funnel growth strategy, its Tribeca X entry 'Silly Little Plastic Cat', and lessons from its Earth Month campaign.

• Back Market sells refurbished tech that is tested, checked, repaired and resold by professionals, with warranties and returns guarantees.
• Luke Forshaw spent eight years working on Apple marketing at Media Arts Lab, part of the OMD network, before joining Back Market as head of European marketing.
• Forshaw advocates an 80–90% human and 10–20% AI split in marketing, using AI mainly for reporting and data interpretation, not creative concepts.

Best Creative Ads: Back Market, Roku, Honda

Ad Age published a feature on July 20, 2026 by Tim Nudd highlighting this week’s most notable advertising campaigns, spotlighting creative work from Back Market, Roku and Honda. The piece describes standout spots and creative approaches—one caption notes an ambitious Honda Europe spot by Pablo featuring shapeshifting visual elements. The article is an editorial selection of notable creative ads and includes related recommended stories and links to other agency and brand coverage on the site.

• Ad Age published an article on 2026-07-20 highlighting top creative ads from Back Market, Roku and Honda.
• The article was written by Tim Nudd.
• A caption in the article states that Pablo created a Honda Europe spot that features shapeshifting blobs.

Back Market Founder Stakes Mother's Life in Ad

Back Market has launched a global creative campaign titled "Swear on Our Mom’s Life" to build consumer trust in refurbished devices. Created with agency Mother and directed by Harold Einstein (Packer Productions), the campaign features founder Thibaud Hug de Larauze alongside his real mother, Valerie, and uses a tongue-in-cheek pledge — “We swear on our mothers’ lives — and if we ever break our promise, her life is yours.” The ads emphasize Back Market’s quality assurances (30-day free returns, one-year warranty, 100-point inspection) and will debut in July 2026 in New York across TV, video-on-demand, out-of-home, social and audio before a wider US, UK and EU rollout. Credits list Mother as creative agency and Packer Productions as production company.

• Back Market launched a global campaign called "Swear on Our Mom’s Life" created with agency Mother.
• Founder Thibaud Hug de Larauze appears in the commercials alongside his real mother, Valerie.
• The campaign uses a dramatic pledge line: “We swear on our mothers’ lives — and if we ever break our promise, her life is yours.”

Q&A: Mirakl chief customer officer on why marketplaces should be a tool, not a strategy

New press mention added at the top of the Mirakl news listing.

Broadsign and Mirakl Ads Partner to Unify Online and In-Store Retail Media

During the 73rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Mirakl and Broadsign announced a strategic partnership that bridges the gap between digital retail media channels and in-store advertising.

AI Alters Discovery, Retail Media Strategies Evolve

Industry leaders at an ADWEEK House Cannes Lions panel co-hosted with Mirakl Ads discussed how AI 'answer engines' are changing discovery and where retail media fits in the marketing funnel. Panelists argued retail media remains valuable because it meets shoppers at point-of-purchase, but marketers must integrate retail media with search, social and emerging AI channels. Speakers highlighted expanded definitions of retail media and commerce media, the rise of non‑endemic brand buys, and experiential in-store activations (e.g., Best Buy’s 'stores within a store' for Meta Glasses). Lowe’s described using partner data to inform assortment and inspiration-to-action experiences, while brands like Unleashed invest in agency partnerships and training to adapt to faster AI adoption in search. The conversation framed retail media as an evolving journey that must be coordinated across multiple discovery touchpoints.

• ADWEEK House Cannes Lions hosted a group chat on retail media co-hosted with Mirakl Ads.
• Anne Hallock (VP, Mirakl Ads, Americas) defined retail media and contrasted it with commerce media.
• Best Buy Ads has created 'stores within a store' retail experiences, with Meta Labs/Meta Glasses cited as an example.