Come To Think of It -- eBay?

Reaction is mixed to the big new eBay advertising campaign, "Come to think of it -- eBay." Of course, reaction to anything is mixed these days. Anybody who does anything worth noting is stuck like a shish kebab by somebody who's got a bone to pick with something or another.

Personally, I think it's kinda good that that eBay is going to gear up a huge ad campaign at all. It's the first in 18 months for them, and signals further improvements for the environment. On the other hand, you want brick-and-mortar stores to do well this holiday season. The more successful eBay is at marketing itself as a place you buy new stuff, the less shopping there may be at the Nordstroms, Wal-Marts and dollar discount stores this Xmas. So there's that.

Then there's the slogan itself. "Come to think of it -- eBay." Personally, I find myself wondering about it a little bit. Sure, it's positive. It says, "Hey, I was trying to think of a place to go shopping. I should have thought of eBay first because you can pretty much find anything you want there." It's not altogether dissimilar to the famous, "Wow! I shoulda had a V-8!" campaign that sold millions of confused drinkers on the weird, salty, vegetable beverage that has always been slightly less than top of mind for thirsty consumers. As a slogan, it's catchy. It makes you think a bit. Maybe too much?

Ah, there's the rub. Does it make you think TOO much? As in, "I guess I haven't thought about eBay because it's pretty much the last place I'd go for holiday shopping," or "Yeah, I'll go on eBay right after I've tried everything else"? The truth is, I don't know. I shop on eBay a lot. I think it's reliable and fun. I've bought cameras, rugs, guitars and other random stuff on it. I go back all the time. So maybe I'm not the right audience for a "come to think of it" strategy. I tend to like slogans that say, "You GOTTA love this!" as opposed to crafty end runs that try to embed themselves in one wrinkle of my gray matter.

I'm a sucker for slogans, of course, as I'm sure are you. Others that have remained with me over the years include:

-- Take a puff -- it's springtime

-- I'd rather fight than switch

-- You can be sure -- if it's Westinghouse

-- I want my MAYPO!

-- Have you driven a Ford lately?

-- I'm a Pepper

-- Let Hertz put YOU in the driver's seat

-- Goodyear: Where the rubber meets the road

-- Campbell's Soup! It's mmm-mmmm good!

-- Beef: It's what's for dinner

-- Alka-Seltzer: No matter what shape your stomach is in

-- Pork: The other white meat

-- Be all that you can be

-- My doctor said Mylanta

We'll see how this new one works out. I'll just stash it in my vast vault of fatuous slogans and jingles and see if it stay in there, like the Buster Brown shoe jingle, or vaporizes like so many others have over the years.

What do you think? Will "Come to think of it -- eBay" drive you like a hot, dry lemming to the ocean of objects on sale at that worthy destination? Come to think of it, time will tell.

Follow Fortune's Stanley Bing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebingblog

Comments

[EventHorizon1984]

Stanley Bing > Then there's the slogan itself. "Come to think of it -- eBay." Personally, I find myself wondering about it a little bit.

Is everyone viewing eBay's "new" ad so young"that they don't remember this classic ad campaign?

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/26/business/advertising-ssc-b-campaign-for-heineken-to-begin.html
ADVERTISING; SSC&B Campaign For Heineken to Begin
The New York Times
Philip H. Dougherty
May 26, 1981

"ad campaign for Heineken beer from SSC&B will begin to run in magazines next month. The ads will be big pictures of frosty, beaded bottles and glasses of the No. 1-selling import with the simple quote in smallish type, ''Come to think of it, I'll have a Heineken,''"

Guess if a slogan was created in the 20th Century, the rights don't exist in the 21st Century.
.
"Come to think of it, I'll have a Heineken."
??? (c) 1981 Heineken ???

[Patricia013]

This is so depressing. Once again Donahoe chose to push his diamond sellers in our face even when buyers have shown him they don't want this! Quarter after dismal quarter and still he doesn't get it! If a buyer wants an Amazon experience - they will go to Amazon - a business that cannot be beaten or successfully imitated right now! Their 68 percent raise in sales should be shouting this fact right into Donahoe's face! So, now he has spent money he collected from the small sellers he flogs on a daily basis and he advertises his diamond sellers! John Donahoe...­..get a hint! Nobody wants an Ebay that is flooded with cheap new chinese junk...jun­k they can find in their neighborhood Walmart! They want the unique, the rare, the vintage items small sellers brought to Ebay - THAT is what lured in the buyers! I see disaster for the fourth quarter...­and it will be very very well deserved. Let's hope it will FINALLY open the eyes of the board of directors! Ebay needs a change desperatel­y...and it needs to come from the TOP down!

A disqusted 11 year Ebay seller

[Jonahinatickingwhale]

There is something ironically sad about the first ebay television ad to be released in this campaign. It shows the husband of a buyer of a dress. His wife was proud that she got 40% off by buying it on ebay. The husband says he wishes she could get the dress for "100% off".

She can get the dress for 100% off. Ebay and PayPal have made it easy.

The wife needs to only file a "Significantly Not As Described" or "SNAD" claim with PayPal. PayPal will tell the wife to return the dress to the seller with US Postal Service Delivery Confirmation. The wife can send the seller anything - an old dress, wads of paper, yesterday's junk mail, even an empty envelope, anything, as long as it is sent to the seller with Delivery Confirmation. When the Delivery Confirmation number shows something delivered to the seller, PayPal automatically refunds the buyer's purchase cost. Voila! Dress at 100% off.

Legions of long suffering ebay sellers can confirm that this is happening and that ebay and PayPal are allowing it to happen. Over and over and over and over...

Ebay's ad campaign does not indicate "further improvement". It indicates desperation.