Ad of the Day: eBay Returns to TV for the Holidays With a Campaign About Thoughtful Gifting

The perfect gift depends on the recipient. It's a simple truth that eBay is smartly playing up in its new holiday campaign.

A 30-second centerpiece spot, titled "The Giver," focuses on the range of personalized items available via the online marketplace. The camera opens on a shipping box, waiting on a doorstep.

"This is the one," says the voiceover. "The one from her favorite movie." A man removes a handbag from the box. "The one for an adventurer," the voice adds, as a woman removes what looks like a leather satchel, or the world's smallest flight jacket. And so forth.

Eventually, a little girl pulls a Barbie doll out of a box, beaming.

"Happiness is different things to different people," croons the only lyric in the bouncy soundtrack. "The gift they're waiting for, is waiting on eBay," says the voiceover, in a sort of dialogue with the singer. "That's what happiness is," the singer replies.

San-Francisco based Pereira & O'Dell created the campaign, which launches Wednesday on TV. These are the brand's first national holiday TV ads in nearly two years

"While the convenience of holiday shopping has increased, the thoughtfulness of gifting has decreased," says P.J. Pereira, agency co-founder and chief creative officer. "The holidays are about spending quality time with family and friends, and the gifts we exchange should reflect these special relationships. eBay is uniquely positioned to help people find perfect gifts for the ones they love, and the new campaign brings this idea to life."

It's a clear message, based on an insight that should be strong enough in its own right to get consumers in the proverbial door. It's also a strategy meant to answer what the retailer is framing as a vacuum in the absence of a single must-have gift this year. eBay is also citing, based on its own research, frustration among shoppers in finding deals on the presents they do want to buy.

But whether eBay is really the right place to do that—or is better suited to finding deals on a bunch of stuff you don't want—remains to be seen.

CREDITS

Client: eBay

Agency: Pereira & O'Dell, San Francisco