“The show must go on” for Amazon as the tech giant gears up for a huge holiday shopping season in the midst of the pandemic. That also happens to be the title of a new ad from the company featuring a touching nod to crisis we’re living through.
The holiday ad made its debut in the U.K. on Tuesday during an episode of “The Great British Bake Off” and features a young ballerina who is disappointed when her star turn in a winter show is derailed by the pandemic.
The young girl faces the challenges of the year and continues to train and eventually puts on an outdoor performance on a snowy rooftop for her family and neighbors. From a balcony above, a boy shines a spotlight on the dancing girl using a flashlight he purchased on Amazon.
The campaign features 17-year-old French ballet dancer Taïs Vinolo and was shot by award-winning director Melina Matsoukas. It features an original arrangement of the classic song “The Show Must Go On” by Queen.
“Our holiday campaign is inspired by, and pays tribute to, the unbeatable human spirit and the power of community that we have witnessed so often this year,” Simon Morris, VP of global creative at Amazon, said in a company blog post.
Amazon is headed into what CEO Jeff Bezos predicted will be an “unprecedented holiday season” as Amazon is already seeing more customers than ever shopping online for holiday gifts.
The company said during third quarter earnings last week that it expects revenue in the fourth quarter between $112 and $121 billion. That year-over-year increase of 28% to 38% would result in Amazon’s first ever $100 billion-plus quarter.
Amazon has seen huge demand for its services throughout the pandemic and is hiring to meet the need. It plans to hire another 100,000 seasonal workers this year, bolstering its fulfillment and distribution operations for the fourth quarter, going beyond the 175,000 seasonal workers it hired starting in March and April as the first stage of the pandemic confined many people to their homes.
The ballerina ad will premiere in the U.S. on Sunday during “Sunday Night Football” on NBC, and 30- and 60-second versions will run on national TV and on digital channels throughout the holiday season.
The ad was generating some positive response on Twitter:
Well, the Amazon Christmas advert is going to be very hard to beat. Just beautiful. pic.twitter.com/FbMQuj1eh0
— Haitch7 HANDS FACE SPACE ???? (@Haitch7) November 3, 2020
Amazon's Christmas ad from @LuckyGenerals is emotional on all sorts of levels. (As someone whose child's big school play performance was cancelled in March, I can relate) https://t.co/9xRNHufYK0
— Alexandra Jardine (@Nappyvalleygirl) November 2, 2020
I was feeling emotionally quite stable until I saw this… thanks @AmazonUK … excuse me I think I have something in my eye. https://t.co/ziEqMlUOzk
— Darley Dance Productions (@darleydance) November 2, 2020
Amazon aims to lift spirits in its global Christmas campaign about a ballerina with big dreams. https://t.co/UpH73QnwVX
— Ad Age (@adage) November 3, 2020
So, might get my work geek on quickly. I don’t like Christmas ads that get to schmaltzy. I think they lost their magic and became too obvious. But I think Amazon have nailed it with the ballerina. It’s absolutely brilliant. Work chat over.
— Plenty4all (@plentyforall82) November 2, 2020
