Gumtree is celebrating its 10th anniversary in Australia with a new brand identity and improved website functionality.

‘This is Gumtree. Australia’s local marketplace’ is the new tagline for the sharing economy pioneer brand.

The platform, which is one of the top shopping apps in Australia (based on app store downloads), is rebranding to move “confidently into the new era whilst still being true to its roots, by maintaining its focus on community,” says James Walmsley, senior marketing manager.

“The rebrand has been driven by user feedback,” he says, “to improve their experience on our site and in our community.”

The rebrand is being supported by a multi-channel marketing campaign across TV, outdoor and digital, as well as a consumer PR campaign.

X Factor and Getaway host Jason Dundas has teamed up with Gumtree to embark on a road trip around Australia, interviewing some of the marketplace’s most compelling buyers and sellers for the six-part ‘Buyers of Gumtree’ YouTube series.

Technology advances coinciding with the rebrand include improved search functionality and speed, photo attachment capability on My Messages, new option to pay with cash or PayPal, and the introduction of 24/7 live chat customer support.

In the 10 years since Gumtree launched in Australia, the sharing economy has become a more ubiquitous consumption model. Does Gumtree view this as a competitive threat or an opportunity?

“We welcome any competition,” says Walmsley in an interview with Marketing. “When it comes to evolving our product and our messaging, we need to do that anyway, whether we’ve got competition or not.

“It’s not the driver of what we do. It’s more about getting more people into that sharing economy, and onto the site, and using it. The more people we can get doing that the better,” he says.

Creative for the rebrand campaign goes around the world exploring vibrant marketplaces before the ‘we call it Gumtree’ tagline.