In case you were wondering...

When I mentioned eBay's new ad campaign yesterday, it struck me that not everyone is familiar with the comedic stylings of the wonderful (if creepily pale) Jim Gaffigan. Here's some background: The dude's from a large Indiana family, somehow got out of the state and in 1988 graduated from Georgetown's business school.

Since then he's gone on to pursue a successful acting career, having played parts in everything from cult arthouse picks like 2002's Igby Goes Down and last year's Away We Go, to TV appearances as far and wide as Law & Order, That 70's Show, and Sex and the City. That said, he's probably more well known for his Comedy Central specials and frequenting late night talk shows with his decidedly hilarious material. It's great, relatively PG-13 comedy (the raunch factor is low-- gluttony and sloth are by far Gaffigan's most frequented topics), punctuated by hysterical, high-pitched asides.


If you enjoyed that, odds are you'll enjoy most of his material. You can either go on a YouTube adventure and watch  more of his stand up, order his newly released album "King Baby" on iTunes,  or, you know, get tickets to see him live sometime soon. Check out JimGaffigan.com

Come to think of it, eBay

There's a reason we haven't seen a commercial for eBay in a while. 18 months ago, the online auction giant shifted the vast majority of its marketing efforts to a coupon budget, and in the process cut its advertising budget in half. One can only assume that in today's economic struggle, this strategy hasn't been working for them because this holiday season a new ad campaign has been gracing the airwaves:




eBay is smartly tapping into the consumer psyche this holiday season. The catchy tag line makes the message from the (for lack of a better word) "retailer" clear. After the drama highlighted by the Louis Vuitton and Hermes conterfreiting lawsuits last year, they want to remind you shoppers not to forget that ebay is a viable Christmas shopping option. And with the economy making clear but slow steps toward recovery, my guess is that Americans are more inclined than they were this time last year to consider pricier gift options like designer duds and sporting good so convieniently available on eBay.

Apparently the reaction to the ads has been somewhat mixed, but honestly I don't get why. I think that both Jim Gaffigan and Kevin Hart are completely hillarious (yet appropriate) in their roles. Let me know if you feel the same or differently.

If you want to check out the rest of the spots, take a look at eBay's official YouTube page. Enjoy.