NYTimes.com: EBay Profits Rose Sharply in 4th Quarter
Interestingly, they did their promotion with TV and focused their message on being a holiday marketplace for hard to find items.
For the holiday season, eBay spent $14 million on its first major television ad campaign… [and] identified 20 toys that might be in short supply and promoted them. One item, Hasbro's FurReal Friends robot cat, attracted 6,000 auctions in early December.
"We repositioned eBay as a holiday shopping destination for the first time," said Meg Whitman, eBay's chief executive. "Our TV ads are bringing in new users and telling them to check eBay first before you buy anything."
Great job, in my opinion, and more importantly, a great example of how a complete mixed marketing plan can work well to drive business through an online channel.
