“The dance of this script is how do you entertain and educate in the same storytelling,” Shoesmith said.
The ad was created by Amazon’s in-house marketing team and directed by Wayne McClammy, from the production company hungryman. McClammy has worked on multiple Amazon ads.
This year’s Super Bowl ad continues the tech giant’s playbook of leaning heavily on celebrities and poking fun at its products, Shoesmith said. Over the past few months, Pete Davidson, Nikki Glaser, and Lil Wayne have also starred in campaigns involving Alexa+.
“With Super Bowl, we’ve historically really laughed at ourselves. There’s a lot of self-awareness in our humor,” Shoesmith said. “As we looked at the conversation that was going on in culture and all the questions around AI that were percolating, it led us to a really fun idea.”
Hemsworth is cast against type, where he usually plays fearless, cocksure heroes like Marvel’s Thor. Hemsworth is also the star of Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming film Crime 101, which debuts in theaters on Feb. 13.
It’s not uncommon for actors in Amazon content to show up in Amazon’s advertising. For example, Michael B. Jordan starred in the Amazon movie Without Remorse as well as its 2021 Super Bowl ad.
Pataky’s involvement was meant to emphasize Alexa’s role with families, Shoesmith said.
Despite all of this star involvement, Shoesmith said the key to a great Super Bowl ad is to keep the storyline simple and memorable.
“On the day of the game, you’re competing with noise and a lot going on. Having a really simple idea that’s very visually memorable that will break through a lot of that noise is a big tenet and criteria about the spots that bubble to the surface,” Shoesmith said.
