eBay Starts Commercials

from the now's-a-good-time dept

While every other dot com in the world is running away from television commercials, eBay has suddenly decided the time is right. They're launching their first national television ad campaign this weekend. The article claims that part of the purpose of the advertising is to distance itself from the dot com "gloom". However, they point out that eBay has grown mostly through word-of-mouth advertising. So why start advertising now when word-of-mouth has built one of the most successful internet brands? Personally, I wonder how many folks out there haven't heard of eBay yet, and if they haven't, why a TV commercial will suddenly convince them to check it out. If anything, this strikes me as a waste of money - rather than prudent spending.