eBay comes to the dog
The online auction house advertises its limitless range with new commercials
The online auction house advertises its limitless range with new commercialsBy Thérèse BalduzziThe first nationwide TV commercial campaign for the American online auction site eBay aims to show that eBay is not only attractive to collectors, but has something to offer everyone. A communication task that Goodby, Silverstein & Partners from San Francisco mastered with ruinous humor.
Earlier TV commercials for eBay mainly showed typical collector's items such as rare coins and stamps, which only interest a specific audience. But on eBay you can find pretty much anything your heart desires, including everyday items. This time, the animal-friendly advertising agency used dogs rather than reptiles to convey this message in pictures.
In the "Dogs" commercial, three cute dogs cause considerable material damage in a house. The first buries a pearl necklace, a violin, a golf club and even a ringing cell phone in the garden. The second pees on an embroidered upholstered armchair. The third pulls at the tablecloth of a festively laid table to get at the roast, causing all the crockery to break. The oldie "How much is that Doggy in the Window?" plays in the background. At the end, the message "If you lost it, broke it, need it cheap or just can't find it anywhere else: eBay" appears in colored letters on a black background and with a voiceover.
The dogs caused the most difficulties during filming
While the first commercial is almost heart-warming despite its destructive character, the same idea is taken to extremes in the second commercial "New House". Set to the song "Que sera, sera", it shows a newly married couple moving into a new house, which, however, is full of worms. As soon as they close the front door, the lantern hanging over the entrance falls to the ground.
When the woman opens the fridge, the door comes off its hinges while the washing machine spews water like a geyser. A similar scene is repeated in the shower, where the shower head takes on a life of its own and the water can no longer be turned off. When the power cable for the computer is plugged in, a short circuit occurs and when the bathtub is filled, it crashes through the floor into the lower storey. Outside, as the couple are putting up the "For Sale" sign they have just removed, a small bay window collapses onto the car parked in front of the house. At the end, the same tagline as in the first spot is repeated.
According to copywriter Blake Kelly, the original idea was to show someone finding a long-lost item on eBay. But showing that in 30 seconds would have been too complicated. "The easiest way to show this was to destroy things," she says. After some initial mistrust, eBay was won over. The biggest problem with the implementation was getting the dogs to do all the mischief that trained dogs normally - and fortunately - don't do.
Earlier TV commercials for eBay mainly showed typical collector's items such as rare coins and stamps, which only interest a specific audience. But on eBay you can find pretty much anything your heart desires, including everyday items. This time, the animal-friendly advertising agency used dogs rather than reptiles to convey this message in pictures.
In the "Dogs" commercial, three cute dogs cause considerable material damage in a house. The first buries a pearl necklace, a violin, a golf club and even a ringing cell phone in the garden. The second pees on an embroidered upholstered armchair. The third pulls at the tablecloth of a festively laid table to get at the roast, causing all the crockery to break. The oldie "How much is that Doggy in the Window?" plays in the background. At the end, the message "If you lost it, broke it, need it cheap or just can't find it anywhere else: eBay" appears in colored letters on a black background and with a voiceover.
The dogs caused the most difficulties during filming
While the first commercial is almost heart-warming despite its destructive character, the same idea is taken to extremes in the second commercial "New House". Set to the song "Que sera, sera", it shows a newly married couple moving into a new house, which, however, is full of worms. As soon as they close the front door, the lantern hanging over the entrance falls to the ground.
When the woman opens the fridge, the door comes off its hinges while the washing machine spews water like a geyser. A similar scene is repeated in the shower, where the shower head takes on a life of its own and the water can no longer be turned off. When the power cable for the computer is plugged in, a short circuit occurs and when the bathtub is filled, it crashes through the floor into the lower storey. Outside, as the couple are putting up the "For Sale" sign they have just removed, a small bay window collapses onto the car parked in front of the house. At the end, the same tagline as in the first spot is repeated.
According to copywriter Blake Kelly, the original idea was to show someone finding a long-lost item on eBay. But showing that in 30 seconds would have been too complicated. "The easiest way to show this was to destroy things," she says. After some initial mistrust, eBay was won over. The biggest problem with the implementation was getting the dogs to do all the mischief that trained dogs normally - and fortunately - don't do.
