Legendary Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino and actor Alec Baldwin front Amazon’s first ever Super Bowl campaign – #BaldwinBowl – which sees the etail behemoth promote its virtual assistant Alexa.
The advert is the e-commerce giant’s first Super Bowl spot since it was founded in 1994 and while the full version won’t be seen until it airs for the first time during 7 February’s big game, two weeks before the Super Bowl Amazon began rolling out a series of preview teasers.
The core narrative sees Baldwin and Marino plan their ultimate Big Game party – with help from Alexa.
Between the three off them they come up with all sorts of slightly whacky ways to make their game-day bash one to remember.
The teasers start with Alexa answers Baldwin’s crazy questions about ‘snack stadiums’ and open with ‘Brainstorm’,
followed by ‘Model Stadium’,
and ‘Cheese Footballs’.
The campaign is also running in pre-launch mode across Amazon’s social channels under the #BaldwinBowl hashtag.
#baldwinbowl #deflategate #notthisyearhttps://t.co/9FAK1cp87E
— Amazon Echo (@amazonecho) January 29, 2016
.@AlecBaldwin We've got your 60 wheels of Pecorino. Do you have enough crackers? #BaldwinBowl pic.twitter.com/7X6CWeyMY4
— Amazon Echo (@amazonecho) January 29, 2016
You’re #1 @casadavid! Hit us with a DM and we’ll get you the equipment to make your own https://t.co/dfzfwbhCuL. pic.twitter.com/W6DEL9SKxS
— Amazon (@amazon) January 29, 2016
We’ve got something to help you paint your own 50-yard line @funpantsmcgee. DM us and it’s on the way. pic.twitter.com/5YyPOSQb0P
— Amazon (@amazon) January 29, 2016
The company later revealed via Twitter that Missy Elliott – following her performance during Katy Perry’s halftime show during last year’s Super Bowl – will join Baldwin and Marino for the main Super Bowl spot.
Alexa is a cloud-based voice service on Amazon Echo device designed to provide information, answer questions, play music, read the news, check sports scores or the weather, and more—instantly.
As well as its ability to announce live scores and results, in the build-up to the NFL’s showpiece event, Alexa has now acquired the ability to give football fans predictions on which teams will win through the NFL postseason right up to Super Bowl 50 itself.
The big budget, big game commercial has been created by agency Leo Burnett Toronto.
‘Echo has had an amazing reception from customers over the past year–they love it,” said Neil Lindsay, VP, Amazon Devices.
‘We thought the Super Bowl was a great chance to tell even more people about what Echo and Alexa can do, and have some fun while doing it.’
The Echo itself is a dark cylindrical device, launched back in November 2014, that streams music through apps like Pandora and iHeartRadio (it can also control lights and switches through smart home devices including Samsung SmartThings, Philips Hue and WeMo).
Comment
Filled with Big game relevant themes, references and faces, the campaign is certainly trying to find synergies and links to the Super Bowl wherever it can.
The very fact that a tech giant like Amazon is reverting to traditional marketing platforms like TV and the traditional biggest ad event of the year in the Super Bowl suggests that Silicon Valley hasn’t entirely changed the face of marketing.
Indeed, Amazon isn’t the only big tech beast to be activating around the big game for the first time at Super Bowl 50.
Silicon Valley super brands – such as Uber and Apple – are also going big at this year’s big game.
Perhaps not surprising considering it is being played in the heart of Silicon Valley in the San Francisco 49ers’ high-tech Levi’s Stadium (which is actually in Santa Clara).
The ad marks Baldwin’s first Super Bowl campaign since he fronted Hulu’s big game ad back in 2009.
Links
Amazon Alexa:
Amazon YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/amazon
Amazon Twitter:
Amazon Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Amazon/
Amazon Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/amazon/
Amazon Google+:
https://plus.google.com/u/1/114493486650807637382
Amazon Website:
Leo Burnett Toronto
