Sources: Amazon – “Kindness, the greatest gift”; Etsy – “Give more than a gift – Bus Stop”
Amazon and Etsy’s Christmas spots speak to the gift of giving of yourself
Acts of selflessness are at the core of the stories in commercials for this holiday season from Amazon.com and Etsy.
The titles of the respective spots — Amazon’s “Kindness, the greatest gift” and Etsy’s “Give more than a gift” — are a clear giveaway that these commercials are going for the heartstrings. Did they tug at yours?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR3_gAB5QIE
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What is your critique of the Christmas spots from Amazon.com and Etsy? Which spot does the best job of connecting with each platform’s core customers while reaching out to new ones?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
"I really like both – they really hit on the message of giving, thinking of others and kindness."
Richard Hernandez
Merchant Director
"They are both great – it’s been a rough road and having a break from divisive images and instead seeing random acts of kindness is needed."
Christine Russo
Principal, Retail Creative and Consulting Agency
"Two terrific ads. Both connect with customers and non-core markets due to the simplicity of their messages, namely kindness and generosity."
They are both great – it’s been a rough road and having a break from divisive images and instead seeing random acts of kindness is needed. Does it make people interact with the product/brand? Who knows, but the imagery serves the greater good.
The Amazon spot is a PSA on kindness but, once again, I wonder why the neighbor doesn’t reach out to the person she sees struggling? The gift is a nice gesture – as it is in every commercial with this theme – but if she had to research her address, why not invite her for coffee?
The Etsy commercial shows what kindness can do when it’s shown every day. Both the woman and the store associate benefit from that relationship, it’s both heartwarming and aspirational. It makes me want to do better AND order from Etsy. It’s Etsy for the win!
Georganne – I think you’re being a little hard on the woman in the Amazon spot – to me, she did reach out to a shy neighbor in a very positive way. But I agree with you – Etsy drives home the point more.
Maybe, but this is a reoccurring theme in commercials like this. I think it’s time for an upgrade.
I sense an opportunity for … Starbucks! 🙂
A big one!
I really like both – they really hit on the message of giving, thinking of others and kindness. The Amazon commercial was about a minute too long to get there but it got there. The Etsy commercial was to the the point. Difficult to decide on one.
They are both very nice ads. And I really liked how both ads were about kindness for kindness’s sake, not some pushy “give” or “get” or “consume” message. Neither ad was obviously about the brand presenting the ad. They were just about kindness. And that’s a good thing. A nice calm, quiet message about kindness.
Love both ads showing simple acts of kindness however, the Etsy ad does a better job of showing a strong personal connection with a product that matches that personal connection – all wrapped up in a shorter story to keep your attention.
Both spots tugged at my heartstrings and wallet strings. By smashing silos that separate households, generations and ethnicities, these ads show even simple gifts can represent acts of love.
Amazon’s spot deepens its reach among its core audience of anyone with a credit card, Internet and shipping address. It also welcomes diverse shoppers, as many recent Amazon campaigns star Black women (plus Michael B. Jordan – thank you!).
Etsy’s ad extends its appeal beyond younger bohemians to diverse shoppers by spanning races and age groups with a generous gesture.
Two terrific ads. Both connect with customers and non-core markets due to the simplicity of their messages, namely kindness and generosity. Tie breaker goes to Etsy, their ad is a bit more engaging and reaches across generations and ethnicities.
To be quite honest, I did not like Amazon’s advert. Being apart from families and separated from friends was last year’s narrative and it is a gloomy one. This year, while some will be lonely, more people will be together, which is exactly as it should be. Amazon is out of step with the times. The Etsy spot was far more touching.
A terrific pair of advertisements. Amazon delivery was nuanced as it navigated arriving in a new city, being away from family, and the invisible privacy bubbles we carry. To have the older person respect the younger’s space was effective in focusing the story on the young woman and giving youth control. This was a long spot but necessary for compelling story-telling.
Etsy’s spot was more direct and built a warm relationship between the two generations in 30 seconds. It requires less thought and directly taps the emotional strings. There’s mutual respect and genuine caring between the two characters. Etsy’s personalized gifting brings home the company’s differentiated offering well.
Kudos to both!
Remember back in marketing class when they told you “If you can’t tell your message in 2:10, it’s too long?” OK, you probably don’t remember that, because no one would have thought such advice would ever be needed. It was here: the Amazon spot was horrible: bleak, l–o–n–g and somehow managing irritating product placement (in its own ad!).
The winner: Etsy (and not just by default, it was actually well done).