Amazon Launches Christmas Advert: The Show Must Go On

Amazon today launches a global Christmas TV ad campaign which follows a young, talented ballet dancer as she prepares for the role of a lifetime. This being 2020, things don’t go to plan, but with the support of friends and family, and her own tenacity and optimism, she delivers a spectacular performance for her awestruck neighbours.

Simon Morris, VP Global Creative at Amazon, said: “Our TV ad is inspired by, and pays tribute to, the unbeatable human spirit and the power of community that we have witnessed so often this year.”

Amazon’s 2020 Christmas campaign launches on TV on the 2nd November with the 60 second advert. The full 120 second advert will air on 3rd November, during the first ad break of The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4. The full 120 second advert can also be viewed here from 7am on 2nd November.

The TV advert, created by Lucky Generals for Amazon, features French ballet dancer, Taïs Vinolo, in the starring role. We follow her powerful story as her dreams of dancing a lead role are jeopardised due to the COVID-19 crisis. As her ballet school closes, she continues to train regardless, in and around her neighbourhood. However, later in the year, her hopes are dashed, as the end of year performance is cancelled. Devastated, she loses hope. However, her sister and the community around her secretly pull together to give her a stage and an audience after all, in an emotional finale.

Taïs Vinolo, ballerina and star of the Amazon Christmas 2020 advert, said: “When I was growing up in the French countryside, there were no young black girls studying ballet with hair like mine, or even on TV, meaning I had no one to identify myself with. Being on this shoot helped so much with this, enabling me to own who I really am, who I want to be and what I represent. I am so proud to have been part of this project since the message of it means a lot to me and even more so in this very difficult time that the world is going through.”

The film features a unique arrangement of the song “The Show Must Go On” - by Queen; and was shot by award-winning director Melina Matsoukas, whose previous directing credits include music videos for Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ and Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’, and the critically-acclaimed film, ‘Queen & Slim’.

There will be four versions of the brand advert airing from 2nd November until 14th December: the 120 second full-length advert which airs on 3rd November; shorter 60 and 30 second versions, alongside a 20 second version for online.

To coincide with the launch of the ad, customers can now browse and purchase gifts from The Amazon Christmas Shop, the one stop shop for all your festive needs. For gift inspiration based on the interests of the person you are buying for and preferred budget, browse thousands of ideas through the Amazon Gift Finder. To find out more, visit amazon.co.uk/christmas

It’s easy for customers to support a good cause this Christmas on Amazon.co.uk. While shopping for gifts for family and friends, customers can support one of more than 30,000 participating UK charities by starting at smile.amazon.co.uk on a web browser, or by activating AmazonSmile in the Amazon app on iPhones and Android phones under "Programs and Features" (after selecting a charity via smile.amazon.co.uk). AmazonSmile has the same low prices and convenient shopping experience customers have come to expect from Amazon, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to a charity of your choice. AmazonSmile has donated more than £4.6 million to UK charities and more than $215 million globally to hundreds of thousands of charitable organisations.

Source : Amazon

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