Dive Brief:

• Amazon on Sunday unveiled its new 2020 holiday ad, which features 17-year-old French ballet dancer Taïs Vinolo. In the ad, Vinolo's character confronts multiple obstacles to perform for her loved ones and community, according to a press release emailed to Retail Dive.
• The ad follows Vinolo as she practices as lead in a ballet performance which is then postponed due to COVID-19. But in the ad, titled "The Show Must Go On," her family and neighbors gather to watch her performance, per Amazon's announcement.
• The campaign features an original arrangement of Queen's "The Show Must Go On" and enlisted Melina Matsoukas, known for directing music videos for Beyoncé's "Formation" and Rihanna's "We Found Love," to direct the campaign. The ad will air in the U.S. on Nov. 8 on NBC's Sunday Night Football and run across other national TV and digital channels during the holiday season, the company said.

Dive Insight:

As the pandemic continues to rattle the U.S. and make for an uncertain holiday season, Amazon's ad campaign is meant to convey the communal resilience shown throughout this year, Simon Morris, vice president of global creative at Amazon, said in a statement. It's a challenged marketing season for many, as retailers try to recreate holiday experiences and strike the right tone with consumers that have been through a difficult year.

In addition to its new ad, the e-commerce giant has also promoted its product selection and encouraged consumers to shop ahead of the traditional holiday season. Last month, the company created holiday gift guides for categories including electronics, toys and home goods. Prime Day, which is usually held in July, took place on Oct. 13-14, and brought in $3.5 billion in sales for its small and medium-sized businesses, according to the company. Amazon also introduced early Black Friday deals during its Holiday Dash event.

As Amazon markets to consumers ahead of shopping events, the retailer has also prepared for increased demand. Last week the retailer announced that it's creating 100,000 new seasonal positions, including in order fulfillment and other operational jobs.

Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a spike in online shopping, which brought the company more sales before the holiday shopping season began. The retailer's third-quarter product sales reached $52.8 billion, an increase from $39.7 billion in the third quarter of 2019.