Online advertising is constantly evolving, and online campaigns are now more measurable, dependable and efficient than those in the offline world. At eBay, display marketing is seen as a way to connect people with things they need and love. Luke Tillo of the eBay Internet Marketing team explains how.

What is display marketing? 

It’s anything from Facebook ads to text logos to online video, and includes a lot of mobile advertising.  There’s often a misconception that display marketing is banner advertising – which it does include – but display marketing has developed into much more. For example, the vast majority of mobile marketing spend is through Display. Our team’s work is divided into three areas: Operations, which focuses on the creative and tracking; Campaign Management; and Analytics, which measures our success.

How do display ads help connect people to the things they need and love?

We can create in real time an ad that is based on the user’s purchase history, or “propensity to buy.” If a user has bought a camera and film recently, we can build an ad in real time that shows the buyer a lens or camera stand or other accessory. The customer may not realize that they “need” these accessories, and we make it easier for them to get these extras more quickly and conveniently.

How has display marketing evolved?

It started out with static banners, and over the past 4-5 years, we now have the ability to pull in live eBay listings into our banners. We are now an industry leader in mobile marketing. Video is the next medium to master.

What’s the future for display marketing?

I would love to see us get to a point where a customer on the internet searches or expresses intent for an item, and in real time, eBay shows them a banner or video or mobile ad that is compelling enough to make them purchase on eBay in their current session.

The commercials, which began airing Sept. 5 and will run through Nov. 18, emphasize that buyers can find the new designer and electronic goods they want on eBay for immediate purchase, using a smartphone or tablet. The updated tagline is, “From the new to the hard-to-find, when it’s on your mind, it’s on eBay.”

The eBay Buyer Protection logo appears at the end of each commercial, emphasizing that buyers are protected when they choose to make purchases on eBay.

The fully integrated ad campaign is launching in 18 markets in the United States across multiple channels, including print and social media.

Watch the videos below:

For the first time since 2009, eBay is coming to your television screen. The “When it’s on your mind, it’s on eBay” advertising campaign kicked off today with the first of six 30-second TV spots on national cable network shows including Top Gear, ESPN Sportscenter, The Daily Show, Top Chef and The Rachel Zoe Project. The spots emphasize the emergence of mobile helping consumers shop anywhere, anytime, whenever they want.

The campaign is focused on mobile shoppers and shopping enthusiasts. One of the key messages coming out of the spots I’ve seen is that they position eBay as the shopping destination for new items at buy-it-now prices.

I was fortunate enough to spend time earlier this week with members of the creative team at Venables Bell & Partners – the advertising firm responsible for creating the ads – and with Deirdre Findlay, Sr. Director eBay Consumer Marketing – to chat about the campaign in more detail. Look for the behind-the-scenes video with them over the next couple of days.

In addition to the TV spots, street-level outdoor environments will be created and will use custom QR codes that can be accessed using eBay’s RedLaser technology letting consumers shop for products on the spot. These will be seen in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles starting October 17.

In the meantime, enjoy the three spots I’ve included in this post.

Cheers,
RBH

Related Read:
eBay Targets Mobile Users…

eBay and Triad will collaborate on an innovative approach to display ads that takes customers “beyond the banner” and engages them with new brand experiences that are complementary to the eBay experience:

• Banner advertising will be more customized, with category-specific content embedded directly into the ad so customers can view content without clicking off the site.

• eBay and Triad will also integrate new experiences from popular brands and cross-category “content centers” – sponsored landing pages on eBay that will highlight seasonally relevant and interactive content, and inspire new purchases through integrated merchandising with eBay listings.

You can read more about it in today’s Wall Street Journal article: “EBay Moves To Boost Display Advertising Business” or in the press release.

Cheers,
RBH

Radio Advertising
Then, this morning as I’m driving to work, Santa Claus starts talking to me through my radio telling me about all the great deals at eBay… Sure sounds like an advertisement to me. It turns out there are two other radio spots that have been running in lead up to the holidays. You can listen to them HERE and HERE.

PR Updates
So I went back and looked at emails that I get on a weekly basis from our consumer PR team and there’s a heck of a lot of PR and promotion going on out there. (If you’re interested in me sharing more of what those individual TV, radio and magazine/e-zine spots are, I’m happy to provide here but it will make for a long blog post). I will provide just a couple of examples though…

For one, Griff has made a number of TV appearances recently talking about deals on eBay. This morning he was on CNBC talking about trends in online consumers and in addition to being likened to Santa Claus at the beginning of the interview, he was also quick to point out that “eBay sellers have come to the rescue [of buyers], by offering the best possible pricing online.” You can view the interview HERE.

eBay $1 Holiday Doorbusters
• Forbes.com featured a story on the trend of online retailers offering deals and promotions before Black Friday, and reporter Elizabeth Woyke noted that deals can “always found on eBay” and included information about the “Holiday Doorbusters sweepstakes.” Furthermore, she reported that from November 24 to December 8, several lucky shoppers have the opportunity to purchase iPod nanos and Nikon Coolpix cameras for $1.

• Daily Candy, an influential, daily e-mail newsletter and website featured a sponsored link in their weekly Deals email. The post highlights the $1 Holiday Doorbusters initiative and includes a link to the Doorbusters Web site: www.ebay.com/doorbusters. Add-ons include additional eBay banner ads and placements on their website.

• WHP CBS 21 (Harrisburg, PA) featured a segment on eBay’s $1 Holiday Doorbusters. The reporter noted that eBay is “hitting the ground running” by offering 100 items for one dollar on its Web site starting now through December 8. Several of the items include GPS devices, digital cameras and a brand-new car or plasma TV.

• KOLO-TV CH 8 (ABC-Reno) announced on its 5 p.m. program that eBay unveiled its $1 Holiday Doorbusters promotion. The segment noted that items including toys, electronics, sporting goods and jewelry, will be posted randomly on the site each day of the promotion, as well as one luxury item per day.

• The following online outlets have also featured featured information on the Doorbusters promotion: The Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune, Wichita Business Journal, AuctionBytes (includes a link to www.ebay.com/deals), Centre Daily Times (includes a link to Doorbusters landing page), San Jose Business Journal, Tech Journal South, Atlanta Business Journal, The Motley Fool, FayObserver.com, ABC15.com (Phoenix, Arizona)

• The following Coupon Web sites have featured information on the Doorbusters promotion: Fat Wallet, GottaDeal.com, DealLighted.com, DealsSmart.

• The following blogs have featured information on the Doorbusters promotion: Bargain Finder Pro, Bargain Hunter, 9 Malls Blog (includes a link to Doorbusters landing page), Buffalo News.

Like I said, there are a large number of examples like this illustrating exactly how eBay is promoting the marketplace both in the press and through advertising. Again, this blog is not intended to be a platform for me to regurgitate kool-aid (ouch… not a good visual) but if folks are interested in me breaking down factually (and without spin) where and how the marketplace is promoted online, in print and through radio/TV, I’m more than happy to.

For those American readers out there, I wish you a very safe and a very happy Thanksgiving with both family and friends. I’m very excited to celebrate Quincy’s first Thanksgiving (and to enjoy three NFL games on turkey-day… despite the seemingly poor match-ups). I also look forward to coming back on Monday refreshed (and turkey-filled) and ready to hit the ground running again with Ink.

Cheers,
RBH