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BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE: Business Week ebiz | ||||||||||||||
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These E-Tailers Have Toys, but How About Trust? A flurry of TV ads for online merchants may build brand awareness, but during toy season, e-shoppers will head for stores they know In an effort to attract the eyeballs and credit cards of parents this holiday season, Internet toy retailers have taken their battle to the traditional airwaves. Network and cable are crackling with brand-new television advertising. Give the e-tailers credit. Many of these spots are highly creative, engaging, even memorable. Too bad most of them won't work. At least not this year. For the Christmas almost upon us, the current crop of television ads is going to do little to boost the bottom line of most online toy sellers. It's not for lack of trying. Toysmart.com has several cute bits pitting brainy kids against their adoring though bumbling parents. eToys depicts the wonder of childhood, deftly scoring its ads with music reminiscent of Thirtysomething's theme song. The Right Start heralds its new online store with an ad showing its Web site at work and answering some frequently asked questions. These ads and many others like them are designed to build brand awareness. They're hoping to break through the clutter of TV advertising and make emotional connections with potential customers. That's considered the key element in the race for online supremacy. Consultants have spent months insisting that the most important goal this holiday season is to be on consumers' minds when they log on. This means pulling out all the stops -- and the cash -- to create a strong and compelling image.
But what do I know about these newly minted online toy sellers? I know they have hired some really first-class advertising talent to get my attention. But that's about it. Most of these companies are far too new to have built up trust. Even companies that have stellar reputations for trustworthiness in the offline world, such as the Right Start, have yet to build up a long, successful track record on the Web. Trust is especially crucial in this category in this season. Nowhere is there less margin for error than in the purchase of a holiday toy for a child. Many shoppers want to use the Web this holiday season to avoid the annual rite of clawing through a hopelessly congested toy store. But most are also aware that shopping on the Web is not a completely reliable experience. Technical glitches, back-order woes, delivery problems -- all are issues for the Internet shopper. If you're waiting for a book or new piece of software, maybe these are minor annoyances. But a snafu this time of year could be disastrous. This is Christmas. If you order a toy online, and it isn't under the tree on Dec. 25, how sympathetic do you think the kids will be? Which brings me back to my point. Most people, while eager to try the Web, will play the toy-shopping portion of the season as safely as possible. Look for the winner of the online toy derby to be Amazon.com. The company has recently added toys and other wares to its virtual shelves. It's also spending $50 million this holiday season on ads. What does Amazon.com know about toys? Well, it knows how to get a toy from its warehouse to your doorstep. This is Christmas. That's what counts.
Neuborne covers Marketing for Business Week in New York. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
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 Neuborne covers Marketing for Business Week in New York WEB POINTERS Click here to visit the sites mentioned in this column: Toysmart eToys | |||||||||
