Talkback: TradeMe just gets bigger and better

A major milestone passed largely unheralded in April: internet auction site TradeMe signed up its 1 millionth member.

Not a bad customer base for a business that's just six years old.

The numbers surrounding TradeMe these days are astounding:

* Something sells on the site every two seconds.

* A car sells on TradeMe every seven minutes.

* The site attracts 190,000 visitors every day, or 1.9 million unique visits every month.

* More than 400,000 products are listed for sale on TradeMe and that number just keeps growing.

* TradeMe hosted 19.2 million auctions last year and is expecting to host 25 million auctions this year.

With all those vital statistics, you would think that marketers would be quick to embrace TradeMe as a new mass medium.

Some have. As far back as 2002, L'Oreal featured on the site as the sponsor of a Celebrity Kisses auction in support of Fashion Week. Forty Kiwi celebrities donated lipstick kisses that were mounted on board and displayed during Fashion Week events.

TradeMe membership in 2002 was less than 10 per cent of today's numbers, but bidding was still spirited. Top bid: $550 for a smooch from Nicky Watson - nearly three times more desirable than her nearest competitor.

More importantly for L'Oreal, the 40 celebrities attracted a total of 35,535 page views during the course of that campaign. Given the growth in TradeMe since 2002, a similar campaign these days could be expected to attract TV-sized audiences.

Puffery? The recent auction for the butt of the last cigarette officially and legally smoked inside Malt Restaurant and Bar in Auckland - 11.59 pm last December 9, before the smoke-free legislation came into force seconds later - attracted 139,627 page views all by itself.

Another example: last month's auction for the first bottles of Coca-Cola Raspberry and Diet Coke with Raspberry in the world to come off the production line mustered 28,685 page views and a sale price of $3010 - slightly above the recommended retail price. And the auction generated 28,684 more exposures than you would normally expect for a webpage about a carbonated beverage.

Overseas, TV networks and movie companies are using online auctions as a medium to promote their offerings. Fox Sports has run several auctions offering Nascar fans the opportunity to write a column about an upcoming race. Props and memorabilia have been auctioned by the makers of shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer, creating buzz in unexpected places. eBay has even set up a business unit to offer marketing and promotional opportunities to big-name brand marketers.

Thus far on TradeMe, we've mostly seen marketers involved with short-term, high-visibility pro bono projects showcasing merchandise specially developed for each auction. Who will be the first major New Zealand marketer to develop an effective long-term TradeMe promotional strategy that goes beyond that paradigm?

* Michael Carney, media strategist at MediaCom, is writing a book about TradeMe.