eBay is launching a fall marketing campaign with the theme “We're Still Relevant” “eBay Stories,” aiming to build on last year's theme “Things. People. Love.” which was its first global campaign in nearly a decade.
The company describes the campaign as “a celebration of the unique stories, passions, and connections that make every purchase on its marketplace meaningful” and invites people to “rediscover the joy of shopping by spotlighting the moments when buyers and sellers find exactly what they’re looking for — and the stories behind those finds.”
Emily O’Hara, eBay’s Global Head of Brand & Media, said:
“This campaign answers the question, ‘Why eBay?’ by celebrating the fun of shopping on our marketplace. It’s about that winning feeling — when you score a deal, find exactly what you were looking for, or successfully sell an item you no longer need. The insight comes to life through stories of people’s wins: What you buy and sell on eBay means more because it comes with a story that makes it more special, rare and personal.”
Well, the last thing I bought on eBay was an ink cartridge, so I don't know about that.
Plus, where are sellers supposed to share these stories? Are sellers supposed to craft these masterpiece narratives or is eBay's generative AI simply going to hallucinate the stories?
The campaign seems completely out of touch with how their platform actually works and how customers shop in 2025. eBay wants buyers to feel an emotional connection to a shopping journey that's currently purely transactional. It's a feel good campaign that doesn't live in the same reality as the actual buying experience currently offered by eBay.