Using color in marketing
When our brand's visual prominence needs to fluctuate based on audience and context, our color system flexes to accommodate these different scenarios. For example, when we’re competing for attention with other brands, we rely on our core logo colors to establish brand recognition. In instances where our brand is already prominent, we can be more flexible in our brand expression and use a broader range of color.
Our core marketing palette consists of our core 4 logo colors and 3 neutrals. We use this palette to establish recognition when we’re competing with other brands for visual attention and brand attribution. These situations include off-platform and out-of-home marketing. In these instances, we use our 4-color logo on a white background, supplemented by black and light gray.
Off-platform marketing
Off-platform marketing includes out-of-product banner ads, social media promotions, and placements that compete for attention in busy environments. These examples use the core marketing palette—generally on white backgrounds and always with the 4-color logo. We use black backgrounds in some cases, like Black Friday ads or video end cards. For more guidance and examples for specific campaigns, see Expressions.
Out-of-home marketing
Out-of-home marketing that uses the core marketing palette includes pop-up stores, billboards, and other street-level placements.
When our brand is already prominent and our customers are in the context of eBay, like on our website or social media channels, we can be more flexible in our brand expression and use a broader range of color with our expanded marketing palette. This includes levels 400, 500, and 700 from our full color palette, which we use mainly as background colors. To find the matching foreground colors for each background color, use the Color pairing tool.
On-platform marketing
On-platform marketing that uses the expanded marketing palette includes banners, events modules, and ads on eBay's homepage, landing pages, and support pages.
Marketing on other eBay channels
Off-platform marketing that uses the expanded marketing palette includes emails, social media posts, and stories.
Internal marketing
The expanded marketing palette can also be used for internal communications like decks, reports, and articles on the eBay Hub.
Below is the subset of our marketing color combinations that meet accessibility standards in all clients and should be used for any secondary modules where colored text is layered on a colored background. Use the Expanded marketing palette for background colors in hero images.
Product marketing
Marketing placements in the product do not change color in dark mode. We lock our marketing color themes so that they will look identical in both dark and light mode. This ensures that we retain adequate contrast with the photo and text on the background color they were designed for.
Email marketing
In emails, images and icons will always stay as-is in both light and dark mode. However, the email background and text colors will invert in dark mode and any area where colored text is layered on a color background will also change. Because all email clients translate colored backgrounds and text differently in dark mode, we can’t always be sure exactly what color it will be translated to. We have performed extensive testing to ensure that all Email Marketing colors meet accessibility contrast requirements in all clients in dark mode. Here is an example of how hero images and secondary modules get translated.
