Who is the guy in the Amazon ad?

It might seem like Amazon’s Alexa is reading your mind when she automatically orders more toilet paper or turns on the lights at a specific time. But a new Super Bowl ad shows why it might not be a good idea to have the AI go beyond just voice assistance.

Real life couple Scarlett Johansson (“Black Widow”) and Colin Jost (“Saturday Night Live”) star in the 90-second spot, released Monday in the commercial-heavy run-up to Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI.

After commanding Alexa via Echo smart speaker to prep the house the morning of a game — she streams football on Prime Video, closes the blinds and chills some rosé — Jost and Johansson are struck by how it seems Alexa “can read your mind.”

The ad proceeds to examine the pitfalls of what the couple’s interactions would be like if Alexa was indeed a mind reader. Amazon even works in a plug for Whole Foods, the grocery chain it owns.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy tweeted that the ad was one of the tech giant’s commercials for Sunday’s game, so stay tuned for updates on what else Amazon has in store.

The Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals airs Sunday at 3:30 p.m. PT on Fox.

Shoppers will be increasingly more budget-conscious this back-to-school season, and Amazon is acknowledging such anxiety with its new campaign, out today.

The ad’s title, “Spend Less on Your Kids,” spells out Amazon’s proposal, and actress Kathryn Hahn also makes it crystal clear in the 30-second spot.

She walks a school hallway and says, “As a mom, I know kids are expensive as [school bell rings], so this year I’m just going to spend less on them.” She explains that Amazon’s low prices can help parents achieve budget goals but still deliver on school needs.

Many shoppers may be looking to save money as economic pressures continue. Inflation hit a 41-year high of 9.1% last month amid fears of a recession—even a mild one, as Bank of America just predicted.

Tracking layoffs and budget cuts

Click here

Prime Day spending

Amazon just wrapped its annual summer shopping holiday Amazon Prime Day, a two-day event that took place on July 12 and 13. Other retailers including Target, Walmart and Best Buy also offered various deals and discounts.

Early results showed that customers are eager to buy.

According to market research firm Numerator, the first day of Amazon Prime Day saw an average order size of $53.14, compared to $47.14 on the same Prime Day period last year. In total, shoppers spent $6 billion online in the U.S. on July 12, up 7.8% from the first day of Prime Day 2021 and the biggest day for online spending this year thus far, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index. Adobe also found that email marketing and display marketing saw big lifts as brands turned to digital channels to broadcast their deals; organic and paid search and social networks did not see as big of an increase on July 12.

More from Ad Age

How MLB's new CMO is pitching to rookie fans—and what to expect at the All-Star Game

Jon Springer

Amazon Prime Day 2022—everything brands need to know

Adrianne Pasquarelli

Why Hoka is racing ahead of its sneaker rivals

Adrianne Pasquarelli

Amazon’s new push will air on national TV and in shorter increments on digital channels.  As part of the campaign, also running a Back to School shopping guide with products picked by celebrities such as Mindy Kaling, Busy Philipps and Neil Patrick Harris.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant’s internal marketing team created the new spots, which were directed by Benji Weinstein.

Sign up for Ad Age newsletters

Click here

In this article:

• Celebrity
• Marketing News & Strategy
• Retail and E-commerce

Adrianne Pasquarelli

Adrianne Pasquarelli is a senior reporter at Ad Age, covering marketing in retail and finance, as well as in travel and health care. She is also a host of the Marketer’s Brief podcast and spearheads special reports including 40 Under 40 and Hottest Brands. Pasquarelli joined Ad Age in 2015 after writing for Crain's New York Business, where she also focused on the retail industry. 

AmazonAMZNjust released its holiday ad campaign; Joy is Made, a story about a father’s love for his child. The ad tells the story of a father who recognizes the special attachment that his daughter has to a snow globe. He then enlists the help of the neighbors in his community and orders products on Amazon to build a life-size version of his daughter’s favorite snow globe in the backyard greenhouse. The big reveal demonstrates a father’s love through his resourcefulness and inventiveness as he is determined to make his child’s holiday a magical experience.

Joy is Made by award-winning director

The ad conveys the message of how joy can be made for loved ones with the help of others. Amazon’s holiday campaign was directed by Academy Award-winning writer, director, and actor Taika Waititi. “We were so inspired to collaborate with Taika Waititi on this year’s holiday ad. The passion he had for telling the story of a relationship between a father and child, with his trademark charm and the casting choices he knew would deliver that story, were paramount,” said Jo Shoesmith, Amazon's head of global creative. The ad was produced by the advertising agency Lucky Generals and the production company Hungry Man.

A daughter’s special attachment to her snow globe inspires her dad to build a life-size version.

Gift catalog for top toys

Amazon's fifth annual Holiday Kids Gift Book was released in October, and millions of customers have already received the catalog in the mail. The company has a digital version available in Spanish for the first time. The gift book theme is ‘Share the Adventure’ and includes over 600 toys and gifts. Amazon’s top toy list, Toys We Love, showcases small businesses' products and provides a Climate Pledge Friendly Selection of items and charitable gift-giving options. New this year in the digital version of the catalog is a trip to the gaming metaverse of Roblox, where users can earn points for free wearables for avatars.

Amazon is set up to serve customers and make returns easy this holiday

The company plans on hiring 150,000 workers and leveraging its transportation network to deliver products to customers throughout the holiday season. Amazon has more than 110 of its own aircraft and over 50,000 trucks to ship packages globally. More than 275,000 drivers worldwide specialize in last-mile deliveries as part of the Delivery Service Partner Program (DPS). In its recent earnings report, Amazon announced investing more than $450 million over the next year to help Delivery Service Partners (DSPs) support their teams.

MORE FROMFORBES ADVISOR

Best Travel Insurance Companies

Amy Danise

Editor

Best Covid-19 Travel Insurance Plans

Amy Danise

Editor

Amazon provides free returns on most items and gives customers options for returning unwanted products, including mail-in or drop-off at various locations, including Amazon stores, Kohl’s, Whole Foods, and Amazon Locker. Amazon's third-quarter sales were up 15%, and year-to-date sales were up 10%. Holiday sales started with the Prime Early Access Sales Event in October. Last year, fourth-quarter sales (October, November, and December) represented 29% of total annual sales.

Who is the guy in the Amazon commercial?

What nationality is Ernesto in Amazon commercial?

Who is doing the Amazon Prime commercial 2022?

What does the guy say at the end of the Amazon commercial about becoming a nurse?