..Three lifelong friends sit on a snowy bench watching children sledding. One of the women fires up her Amazon app and orders three sled-worthy seat cushions.
A few days later the cushions arrive, and before you can say “it’s festive advertising time” the three friends are barreling down the slope with grins that threaten to outshine the Christmas lights. A string version of the tender Beatles classic “In My Life” plays as the old friends are briefly, magically, transformed into children once again.
If the spot feels comfortingly familiar, it’s because it is. “Joy Ride” debuted back in 2023 and quickly found footing as Amazon’s most lauded holiday effort. Developed by Amazon’s in-house creative team and production house Hungry Man, “Joy Ride” marked a departure from outside agency Lucky Generals for the season.
According to research firm System1, the ad was not only Amazon’s most effective of all time, it tested almost off the scale for emotional resonance and brand building.
But what makes the ad interesting now is that Amazon has decided to bring it back as its main emotional brand-building commercial for 2025. While some in the industry might regard the move as a backward step or a signal of creative exhaustion on the part of Amazon, it very much signals a brand and a marketing team who know their advertising onions.
