Amazon has surprised customers with a Black Friday ad featuring none other than the "real serious actor" Adam Driver. The ad, titled '5-Star Theatre', represents an extension of the brand's existing 'Joy is Shared' campaign, inspiring people to shop for everyone on their list this Black Friday Week and Cyber Monday.
The work of Amazon’s in-house creative agency, the campaign is based on a survey which found 79% of customers often or always read a product review before making a purchase on Amazon. With an ever-growing archive of over one billion reviews reflecting Amazon’s wide product selection, it’s clear that no one is better placed to talk about these products than the customers themselves.
To give the reviews – ranging from simple and heartfelt to laugh-out-loud funny – a voice worthy of those who wrote them, Amazon collected some of the funniest, most iconic 5-Star product reviews, and turned them into a one man show featuring Adam Driver. Dramatically narrating reviews for items ranging from dutch ovens, massage guns, Elf on the Shelf, and the most famously-reviewed item on Amazon (a banana slicer), the films deliver performances worthy of their own 5-Stars.
Jo Shoesmith, global chief creative officer, Amazon commented, “What these reviews have shown us is that some of our best writers are our customers, and we love how this campaign brings them into the spotlight. The hardest part was finding a voice that could live up to them, and we were lucky to have a talent like Adam to bring their words to life. I mean, if watching an Oscar-nominated actor deliver a passionate monologue about a banana slicer doesn’t make you laugh, I don’t know what will.”
Adam Driver added, “What’s more compelling than the deeply personal, yet very public, Amazon review? Immortalised readings of the marriage saving qualities of a banana slicer? The nuances of rubber duck collecting? Nothing says the holidays like grabbing a glass of something and telling people what you really think. Merry Christmas to myself.”