Amazon’s offering in the battle of the Christmas ads this year is a celebration of life-long friendship, as three older women revive the joy of sledding down a snowy hill with the help of Amazon’s Prime delivery, of course.

As part of an integrated ‘Joy is shared’ festive brand campaign, Joy Ride has been created in-house by the Amazon creative and campaign team, the first time since 2017 that agency Lucky Generals hasn’t worked on the tech giant’s holiday spot. Produced by Hungry Man, Wayne McClammy has directed the 60-second ad – McClammy has worked on several of Amazon’s past campaigns including Alexa’s Body for the Super Bowl LV.

To add another layer of sentimental delight, a rendition of The Beatles’ song In My Life soundtracks the spot, chosen specifically as it’s an ode to “enduring friendships and shared moments”. The version that plays in the ad was created especially and features a 40-piece orchestra recorded in Prague and an old upright piano, recorded live in London.

As well as a celebration of joy, friendship and togetherness, Joy Ride also highlights the importance of casting more diverse age ranges. “Nostalgia in older age can often be framed as something overly sentimental that you yearn for, so I feel immensely proud that we were able to flip that narrative on its head and tell a story of three women, who don’t just relive memories, but make new ones,” says Maya Waterman, the lead character in the ad.

“At our age, it’s not uncommon to be typecast,” adds Annie O’Donnell, who plays one of Waterman’s lifelong friends in the story. “And, while I will happily play the role of someone’s sweet grandmother, it is always exciting to be able to show a different side. An opportunity to shake off preconceptions and show we are not just ‘young at heart’ but still throwing ourselves into life”.

The spot premiered in the UK on ITV and will run worldwide with Amazon running three additional ads under the ‘Joy is shared’ campaign to promote retail moments such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Credits:
VP Global CCO: Jo Shoesmith
Global ECD: Tom Pettus
EU ECD: Philip Griffiths
Creative Director: Kurt Feng
Copywriter: Jeb Quaid
Production Company: Hungry Man
Director: Wayne McClammy
DoP: Jess Hall
VFX: The Mill
Sound House: Lime Studios