Brand Saga: A tale for every occasion - Amazon India's storytelling legacy

There are campaigns that speak about a brand and then there are stories that talk to the consumer in a language as simple as the human bond. Amazon India has been one of the pioneers in walking the talk and touching human strings since its inception through creative storytelling. We take a look at their saga.

Festivities are around the corner, we are all caught up. Someone’s cleaning the house while others are prepping up to jazz up a bit and a lot of us are also quite equipped with the Great Indian Shopping Festival trending online, confused between those two favorite choices.  Amazon, likewise, is leaving no stone unturned in luring the masses through immersive marketing. In this journey of reaching out to the vast population of India, Amazon’s long-format advertising has played a key role in creating a long-lasting bond.  Here we talk about the journey of creating Amazon India storytelling campaigns making us fall in love with the brand one ad a time.

Amazon steps foot in India

It was in June 2013 that the US e-commerce titan Amazon went live with its India-specific shopping website under the leadership of Jeff Bezos. Initially, the company invested around billions to set shop in India and popularize the eCommerce business.

It kickstarted the operations by only selling books, films, and TV shows and later expanded its bouquet of offerings in the online space with a  suite of mobile phones and cameras within weeks. Identifying the immense potential of India’s seller community and local talent, Amazon allowed third-party retailers to sell their goods through the site using a "marketplace" model, a familiar retail concept in India

With a vision to become a trusted and meaningful sales channel for retailers of all sizes across India, Amazon’s e-commerce marketplace has grown exponentially with a 43 percent boost in revenue to Rs 10,847.6 crore in FY20 from Rs 7,593.5 crore in FY19, according to the latest data.

Storytelling the Amazon way

On the way to its journey to becoming one of the highest-rated online marketplaces for e-commerce in India, Amazon weaved stories that complemented its commitment and services towards its consumers. Stories that spoke to the masses, by the masses and created for them.

Apart from betting big on the sales through innovating marketing techniques and various online promotional tools, Amazon India aimed at creating bonds with the audiences on a human level through campaigns and heartwarming storytelling that were meant to be told and communicated. Joining hands with its creative partners, Amazon India embarked on a journey to integrate emotions and build a human brand.

Celebrating Festivals And Special Bonds

In 2015, one of its initial long-form offerings on the occasion of Father’s Day #MakeDadSmile, Amazon India tugged its advertising objective with sentiments involved in the occasion and rolled out a one-minute long film dedicated to the Fathers.

On the occasion of Christmas in December 2015, Amazon.in delivery boys turned into Santas, delivering blankets to those in need and urged consumers to do the same.

The one-minute commercial showcased how the product, in this case, blankets were packed in Amazon boxes in the packaging unit and delivered to the needy to make them smile a little.

For Valentine’s Day in February 2016, Amazon India chose to paint the digital town red by spreading love in the form of #celebratingendlesslove. It presented the story of Felix and the late Cynthia Fernandez, married for 63 years, 8 months, and 6 days...and still in love. The three-minute film served as the walking canvas for Felix’s admiration for little things about Cynthia while he narrated his endless love for her.

In August 2016, Amazon joined hands with Ogilvy Bangalore to roll out a digital campaign dedicated to selfless mothers.

Sometimes, mothers forget about themselves, the girls they used to be because life got in the way. Mothers give up the little things they loved to do, the little things that brought them joy, because they are too busy making sure their kids achieve their dreams. It’s time the mother goes back to being a girl again and does those things that used to bring her joy. It is this consumer insight that gave birth to the idea #MomBeAGirlAgain.

Directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni, the series of three films beautifully captures the sentiment of a mother’s sacrifice and encourages the viewers to help their mothers relive their childhood dreams.

The campaign was revived yet again in 2017 with stories that struck a chord with relevance and emotion-filled narratives.

Amazon India’s #DeliverTheLove content proposition celebrated bonds created with time and belongingness and resonated various emotions. From tagging fathers as the pillars of support to unfolding t spirit of ‘Rakhi’ between brothers and sisters, the company has aimed to #DeliverTheLove at every step of giving back to society and urged its followers to replicate the same in reality.

Amazon - Nayi Shuruaaton Ki Apni Dukaan while also showcased products across categories, the convenience of shopping and reliable delivery in a subtle, non-intrusive style, also primarily spread the message that these delivery boxes are not just something that brings new things to our doorstep but a token of love and Joy.

Chonkpur Cheetahs

Amazon India became the presenting sponsor for the tenth season of the Indian Premier League in 2017 and rather introduced an unconventional way to promote the association. It mixed fiction with reality to target viewers of the big game from the small town by launching ‘Chonkpur Cheetahs’. The platform aimed at making the fictional team as lovable for the fans as one of the actual IPL teams.

In 2018, as an extension of the previous story, the campaign “Ajnabi Shahar Mein Apni Dukaan”, showed the everyday struggles of an unknown city through this endearing team, where Amazon.in, as the leading online shopping destination, helps resolve dilemmas getting in the way of things truly important.

The campaign encapsulated how Amazon supports millions of Indians in their pursuit of dreams, as it continues to cater to their everyday needs.

Conceptualized by Ogilvy Bangalore and directed by Hemant Bhandari of Chrome Pictures (Chonkpur Cheetahs) Jerald Packiasamy of Still Waters Films (Chellapuram Cheetahs), the films brought to life charming stories of people settling into new cities, and how Amazon India can help by providing access to required products in a humorous and light-hearted way.

Also Read: #DeliverTheLove: Amazon’s Mother’s Day campaign salutes the driving force of our lives!

Amazon Storyboxes: Stories of Transformation

Each Amazon box carries the stories of the dreams, hard work, and ambition of Amazon sellers. These stories are a testimony to the grit and passion of more than 5,00,000 Amazon sellers that we are so fiercely proud of. With Amazon Storyboxes, the company urged consumers to take a look at the stories behind the box and meet the sellers.

For A Cause

Later in June 2016, Amazon initiated a social experiment on the shopping behavior of women wherein men were involved to talk about how and what they perceive #WhenAWomanShops.

In an attempt to break stereotypes, the varied preconceived notions about women shopping online for only ‘themselves’ were proven wrong by Amazon India. The 3-minute long ad film received mixed reactions from the consumers and analysts.

The #CitizensofFashion talked about India’s dressing sense which varies with every kilometer and how each individual though desi or international hailing from different cities and states uphold their own Fashion.

When we say women work wonders, we mean it in more ways than one. According to Amazon India, its women entrepreneurs have fought against all odds to chase their dreams, kickstart their startups and earn the trust of millions of customers.

In 2021, on International Women’s Day, Amazon India launched a film to celebrate every woman who dares to Challenge stereotypes, champion self-empowerment, and Changes the narrative.

Further, it announced the launch of UmmeedKeChehre – a digital-led campaign to salute the unseen and unsung heroes of this pandemic who continue to work tirelessly to help and support others. The campaign unfolds with a digital film that captures the extraordinary efforts and commitment of individuals and groups, including the frontline staff, lab technicians, and lesser-known heroes like drivers, watchmen, and many more who are selflessly doing their best for society and people.

From 'Amazon Apni Dukan' to #DeliverTheLove to celebrating endless bonds and relations, the Amazon India storytelling campaigns have connected the brand with its consumers with a human approach and nothing beats the magic of emotions!

In the second part of the Amazon India advertising saga, we will take a look at how the brand has created a social media presence that translates into brand recall and leads.