Cannes Lions

Amasongs

AMAZON, Seattle / AMAZON / 2024

Case Film
Film
Film

Overview

Entries

Credits

Overview

Background

Instead of opting for another influencer partnership for our holiday campaign as a shortcut to connect with Gen-Z, we wondered what would happen if we created vintage holiday sing-alongs reminiscent of variety shows made popular in the 1950s. Those vintage videos are cringey by today's standards, which seemed like a perfect fit for TikTok which loves unhinged, random content. Inspired by this insight, we sought to recreate the essence of those variety shows with “Amasongs Holiday Choir.” The cardigan-clad group was characterized by stiff acting, forced smiles, and singing about 'savings,' and 'deals' with no reserve. Even lines like “No cap, it’s giving deals. Deals that slay for real, for real.” In fact, the cringier, the better, because we knew it would win the affection of our Gen-Z audience. In the end, although they seemed dated, the ads were totally fresh compared to the typical marketing tactics used

Idea

Each year, more and more brands turn to influencer marketing as the default tactic for connecting with audiences on social media, which creates a sea of sameness during peak retail seasons. Rather than add to the mix of marketing noise during the holidays of 2023, we decided to approach our marketing tactics with a fresh perspective—inspired by a very old perspective:"Amasongs" is a throwback to the holiday variety shows popular in the 1950s and 60s—a time way before social media and glossy, curated social feeds. Back then, the lyrics were campy, the seems were seen, and everything was sung with a smile. Alongside all of the other holiday retail ads in 2023—featuring glossy photography, modern stylings, influencer partnerships, and lots of tinsel—our campaign was visually and strategically disruptive. Although seemingly dated, the campaign was completely fresh for TikTok users who loved it.

Strategy

Each year, more and more brands turn to influencer marketing as the default tactic for connecting with audiences on social media—creating a sea of sameness during peak retail seasons. Rather than add to the mix of marketing noise during the 2023 holidays, we decided to approach our marketing tactics with a fresh perspective—inspired by a very old perspective:

Our creative idea is the culmination of three key insights that resonate with audiences on social platforms: 1) Younger audiences have a higher propensity for nostalgia, specifically 90s and early 2000s. 2) people have moved away from highly-curated feeds and have a preference for more low-quality, raw content. 3) Humor has gotten weirder over the past decade.

With this in mind, we revived a 90's Amazon campaign, keeping its grainy look, but applying a modern humor to achieve a visually and strategically disruptive campaign that broke through the noise.

Execution

Instead of opting for another influencer partnership for our holiday campaign as a shortcut to connect with Gen-Z, we wondered what would happen if we created vintage holiday sing-alongs reminiscent of variety shows made popular in the 1950s. Those vintage videos are cringey by today's standards, which seemed like a perfect fit for TikTok which loves unhinged, random content.

Inspired by this insight, we sought to recreate the essence of those variety shows with “Amasongs Holiday Choir.” The cardigan-clad group was characterized by stiff acting, forced smiles, and singing about 'savings,' and 'deals' with no reserve. Even lines like “No cap, it’s giving deals. Deals that slay for real, for real.” In fact, the cringier, the better, because we knew it would win the affection of our Gen-Z audience. In the end, although they seemed dated, the ads were totally fresh compared to the typical marketing tactics used

Outcome

“Amasongs" ran on Amazon's social channels in paid and organic placements. It resulted in 694M impressions, helping raise Q4 Holiday sales by 14% from the previous year, and landing the company at $170B total sales—Amazon's highest holiday sales of all time. On Snapchat the campaign had a click-through rate 226% above average. The campaign garnered its own media coverage getting writeups in publications like AdAge and Little Black Book, leaving everybody singing along

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