EToys Needs to Play Up Its Own Strengths

Advertiser: EToys

Agency: Kalis & Savage, Los Angeles

Challenge: Sell consumers on the benefits of using the online toy shopping service.

The Ad: A mother dressed in a camouflage suit marches into a toy store and battles other aggressive shoppers for holiday gifts. As a tower of plush pandas topples on shoppers, the scene shifts to a quiet room where a woman orders a plush Elmo doll from EToys via her computer. “Shopping for toys shouldn’t be a battle,” says a voice-over that notes EToys offers “thousands of toys.”

Comment: The ad uses exaggeration to make holiday shopping look horrific. Consumers might wonder whether the ease of using EToys is similarly overstated. Beyond that, the ad fails to give viewers much information about EToys. How quickly do orders arrive? Does EToys accept returns? A Visa ad touting EToys does a better job because it shows gifts arriving on schedule. And the implied endorsement from Visa enhances EToys’ credibility. $$