Amazon’s holiday ad stars a theater janitor who finds himself in the spotlight

Small acts of kindness are the focus of Amazon’s 2024 holiday commercial, which rolled out early Monday, with a 90-second spot telling the story of a janitor at a theater whose colleagues organize a special moment for him on stage. The spot was made in-house, with Hungry Man’s Wayne McClammy directing. McClammy has become a go-to director for the brand, having helmed other recent spots including last year’s holiday ad, “Joy Ride,” as well as the 2023 Super Bowl spot “Saving Sawyer. Also read: 11 creative campaigns to know about today The spot, called “Midnight Opus,” is set to the 1965 Burt Bacharach and Hal David song “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” It goes live today in the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands,and Sweden, and on Nov. 18 in the U.S. and Canada. Cutdowns of 30 and 60seconds will run on broadcast TV, video on demand, online video, cinema and social media through December. “‘Midnight Opus’ is a story that celebrates the joy from doing something special for the people in your life,” said Jo Shoesmith, global chief creative officer at Amazon. “I think we all know how wonderful it feels to be the recipient of even the smallest act of kindness—whether that be a thoughtful gift or an encouraging word—and we wanted to bring that ineffable emotion to life.” More Creativity coverage from Ad Age: Sign up for our daily Creativity newsletter to see the best stories of the day.

Amazon’s holiday ad stars a theater janitor who finds himself in the spotlight

Featured Stories