See Amazon’s back-to-school ad starring Randall Park

Days after its annual Prime Day summer sales event, Amazon is still promoting itself as a shopping destination, this time with a new celebrity-fronted back-to-school campaign. This week, the Seattle-based e-commerce giant will begin airing ads starring Randall Park, the comedic actor known for his work on “WandaVision” and “Fresh Off the Boat.” The 30-second commercial shows Park introducing the “novel idea” of spending less on your kids this back-to-school season by shopping Amazon’s back-to-school deals. The ad follows a similar tone and format to Amazon’s 2022 back-to-school campaign, which had actress Kathryn Hahn filling the role of funny to promote spending less with the brand. While concerns around price ruled last year’s back-to-school shopping season, recent reports show that rising prices may have peaked. In June, inflation slowed to its lowest level in two years, according to data from the Consumer Price Index and the Labor Department. Back-to-school spending is expected to reach $41.5 billion, up 12% from last year and topping the 2021 record of $37.1 billion, according to the National Retail Federation survey released last week. Some reports indicate that shoppers will be early with their spending. For example, a recent report from KPMG found that 62% of consumers expect to begin back-to-school shopping before August, up from 53% last year. Retailers such as Foot Locker began back-to-school marketing campaigns earlier this month. Already, Amazon said its Prime Day event, which occurred on July 11 and 12, showed record results, noting that the first day was the largest sales day in Amazon’s history. See America's Hottest Brands 20 brands that are trending in 2023 Click here ‘Honest parental perspective’ In a statement, Amazon Executive Worldwide Creative Director Jo Shoesmith noted that back-to-school advertising typically shows smiling kids and happy music but doesn’t always address the large expense that accompanies child-rearing. “That’s especially true in this age of steep inflation, when it’s hard to afford eggs, much less backpacks,” she said, adding that Amazon’s campaign breaks through the clutter with an “honest parental perspective.” Amazon’s campaign will air on linear and connected TV, online video and social media including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. Ads on social will run in shorter versions including 6 seconds. The retailer’s own internal cross-channel marketing team created the work, which will run in both the U.S. and Canada. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

See Amazon’s back-to-school ad starring Randall Park

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