Dive Brief:

• Amazon has launched its 2023 holiday campaign, “Joy is shared,” according to details shared with Marketing Dive. Focused on friendship and joyful memories, the push will run in North America and 12 additional countries.
• Central to the effort is a hero spot, “Joy Ride,” that is set to an instrumental rendition of The Beatles’ “In My Life.” The commercial, which is currently running in the U.K. and Europe, will go live in the U.S. and Canada on Nov. 13 and run across broadcast TV, cinema, streaming video, online video and social media through December.
• “Joy Ride” was made with Amazon’s internal creative team and production company Hungry Man. The holiday effort also includes three additional spots that will run during key holiday sales periods like Black Friday.

Dive Insight:

Amazon is tugging at the heartstrings this season with its “Joy is shared” global marketing campaign. Similar to the e-commerce giant’s holiday push last year, the effort revolves around the happiness of the holidays and the convenience Amazon hopes to deliver during the often chaotic period.

At the center of the company’s latest seasonal blitz is the 60-second spot, “Joy Ride,” which depicts three older women who are seen gathered outside on a park bench. They watch as children and teens sled down a hill, a scene seemingly reminiscent of their younger years. Later, one of the women orders seat cushions on Amazon, which the trio then use to sled together as flashbacks from the past come into focus during a gleeful trek down the hill. The iconic Beatles hit, “In My Life,” helps marry the creative’s twin themes of joy and nostalgia.

“Joy Ride” first went live in Europe and the U.K. on Nov. 6. and was created with director Wayne McClammy. Arriving in the U.S. on Nov. 13, the ad will have placements during the Billboard Music Awards later this month and run alongside seasonal content on the Hallmark Channel. The spot will also play in cinemas in the U.S. during movies including Disney’s “Wish” and “The Marvels.”In addition to “Joy Ride,” Amazon plans to run three other holiday ads timed to key sales periods, including the week of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and to promote last-minute deals through December.

The emotionally led messaging could resonate with viewers who are anxious that inflationary pressures could impact their holiday planning. That’s not to say consumers aren’t in the mood to spend, however, with shoppers expected to drop an average of $1,652 this holiday season, up 14% year-over-year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time, according to Deloitte’s 2023 Holiday Retail Survey.

Amazon hasn’t been a stranger to heart-warming ads this year. The company’s Super Bowl commercial, “Saving Sawyer,” followed a real-life rescue dog and ranked third on USA Today’s closely watched Ad Meter. Other recent creative output from the e-commerce giant includes a global campaign that featured a spot, “Tache,” that shows a young woman learning to embrace unwanted facial hair with inspiration from mustached icons like Freddie Mercury. Amazon in Q3 reported net sales up 13% year-over-year for a total of $143.1 billion.

Similar to Amazon, other marketers have made emotion a top priority in their holiday ads. On Monday, Sam’s Club launched a seasonal campaign complete with two ads, both titled “Gift,” that promote togetherness over materialism. Retailers are also using the period to double down on deals and messaging around value. Earlier this month, Target unveiled a holiday campaign guided by the mantra of “However You Holiday, Do It For Less.”