Behind the Films That Positioned Your Prime Membership as Your Lifelong Companion
Two years ago, Amazon was looking for a way to communicate ‘a holistic message’ on Prime’s endless benefits, globally and under one campaign idea.
Focusing particularly on entertainment and retail, the goal back then, according to Wieden+Kennedy London, was to position Prime as a “youthful and entertaining brand.” Together with the W+K team, the brand began to look at its best options.
Creatives Charlie and Lucas, or C+L, say: “The idea that came to us quickly was to start seeing Prime not as a collection of benefits, but as a singular membership that enables you to deepen the relationship with your passions.” Say, somebody’s passion is jazz. With Prime, they can listen to jazz, watch a jazz documentary, and then buy a trumpet. The teams summarised this in the simple tagline ‘Whatever You’re Into, It’s On Prime’, later shortened to ‘It’s On Prime’.
What this resulted in was a series of iconic films – some that will make you cry, some that will fill you with hope, and others that you will see yourself in. C+L say that they took a storytelling approach to show that across different consumer life stages, Prime holds a role in helping its members develop a passion and have a positive impact.
A universal brand idea allowed for the desired global reach and director Michael Spiccia, who has been working alongside W+K, brought it to life through his films, the latest of which, titled ‘The Best’, is just fresh out the oven.
Today, they break down what’s at the heart of the campaign and the special relationship they developed over the years of making it.
LBB> What went into approaching the campaign globally, and what were some considerations you had to make when creating something for varying markets?
C+L> Our starting point for the brand idea was relatively universal. The concept of Prime bringing members closer to the things they’re most interested in is true of the programme across markets, and the core consumer truth of wanting to follow and explore the things that interest us is widely understood.
Executionally, we avoided dialogue so that the message could make the journey across markets simply and effectively. We then built out the topic, the character, and the passion for each ad campaign. We always look for stories that can be universally understood and translated across markets, but we have also created executions specifically for certain markets.
LBB> Michael, how did you get on board with this project at the beginning, and what kind of ideas got it started?
Michael> Wieden+Kennedy originally sent a couple of scripts over that I really connected with on a personal level. After I treated them, the creatives and I spent a lot of time mulling over ideas, tone, and ultimately, the direction of the mini-films. It was really important to all of us that they all shared a sense of humanity and cinematic storytelling. Amazon Prime was essentially the catalyst for enacting change in all of the main characters' lives and we had a great time playing on that.
LBB> Did you always know it would be a series of films, and how did you approach that? What's it like working on a project for two years and how do you keep a fresh look on it?
Michael> It was actually pretty easy to keep a fresh perspective on the project over the span of two years, largely because we were always travelling to new countries with rich cultural backgrounds. And there were also so many creatives generating great ideas so it always felt pretty inspired.
LBB> Were there any insights at the heart of the campaign that spurred your creative choices?
C+L> Life is full of ups and downs, regardless of age or gender. The beauty of this campaign lies in two things:
The simplicity of its structure. Each story begins with a character struggle. Inspired by Prime Video and fueled by Prime’s benefits, our hero jumps into a new or existing interest. That ‘interest’ is extremely important as it is what ultimately saves the day!
The honesty and relatability of the stories we tell. We always look to create characters that people will root for and whose journey will resonate.
LBB> Amazon is no stranger to human stories - the brand has dabbled in this kind of storytelling before. How did you make sure it didn't feel repetitive or cheesy, but genuine and narrative-led?
C+L> That's a good question, and I'm sure it's the reason we're having this conversation now. I believe it stems from a shared ambition between Prime, W+K London, MJZ, and Michael to tell authentic and compelling stories that reverberate well with people everywhere.
This has always been an iterative and collaborative process. Each of us has encouraged each other to challenge, develop, and ensure the work is the very best and freshest it can be. After two years of working together, I believe the three companies have gotten pretty good at having constructive conversations. It is critical to cultivate strong and trusting relationships between these partnerships: it truly has made the work better.
With each iteration we always try to do something new and different - from the human life-stages we bring to life, to the music we use, to the tone of each spot. We’ve always viewed the Prime universe as a TV series. Each spot is a piece of episodic content – one can be a romcom, the other a coming-of-age drama – all united by the authentic moments of human life and the role Prime plays in them.
LBB> Why was MJZ's Michael the best person to take the lead on this directorially? What did he bring to the project and how has the relationship between brand/agency/prodco in this case developed over the last year?
C+L> From the beginning, we connected with Michael's empathy. Not only because he has a unique storytelling style, but he also does a great job of communicating ideas to the team. And given the collaborative nature of our work with the Prime team, that was essential. Naturally, you never get to know someone before a job. However, there was something unique, special, something very ‘Spiccia’ about those first treatments, hehe. Subsequently, in those initial Zoom calls we felt remarkably close. We knew we had something special on our hands as soon as we started shooting. It was always wonderful and fresh — the talks, the realisations, the jokes. Quite human, with the ups and downs. And in a way, that’s what we’re trying to share in our Prime stories.
LBB> Michael, what was it like working with W+K and Amazon and how creatively involved was everybody?
Michael> It’s been nothing short of joyous working with W+K and Amazon, as well as my production teams and editors. There’s been a really special alchemy between all of us that feels familial and I think the crews we’ve worked with have been total powerhouses. Our process feels optimistic and concise.
LBB> What were the biggest challenges when creating the campaign and how did you overcome them?
C+L> The most difficult challenge was something you’ve already called out - ensuring each new ‘episode’ felt fresh, interesting and different.
This affects every element of the creative process - initial concepts and premises, discussions around tone and how that affects Michael’s treatment, our casting decisions, every decision on set, our music choices, etc. Everything is a debate and a new challenge.
However, we always return to the same questions: is this new? Is this fresh? As creative directors of Wieden+Kennedy London and after doing ad campaigns for decades, we push ourselves to be less addy every time.
LBB> And what were the most fun parts of the making? Why?
C+L> Everything! In just a year and a half, we've shot eight stories around the world. Every time, the process is extremely enjoyable. From sitting with the W+K London planners and understanding the brand's needs to writing with the creatives in London, Mexico, the US and Tokyo, to always enjoying the crazy fun and disappointments of coming up with some great ideas and a lot of bad ones, to jumping on a call with Michael and briefing him on shooting a couple more stories, to being on set with Drew Daniels (‘Waves’, ‘Euphoria’, etc.) or the gaffer from ‘Perfect Days’ in our Tokyo shoot. It's nuts! And very exciting. We do this working closely with the Prime team, all ex-agency, so we are all speaking the same language and respecting the craft that goes into creating spots like these.
LBB> How did you come up with these particular stories and were there any that you gave up on along the way? What's your favourite one?
Michael> While W+K comes up with the original stories, we always have a lot of fun adding personal flourishes. I think the one that resonates the most story-wise for me was the first script we crafted, ‘Separation’. That being said, I really enjoyed a lot of the creative process with Concrete Jungle and I was really thrilled with the final film.
LBB> The casting is brilliant in all of them - how did that go overall?
Michael> Thank you so much. Look, casting can be a real hunt and it can take a little longer than we anticipate sometimes. I don’t think any of us stopped until we found the actors that felt the most genuine to the stories. I really thoroughly love the casting process.
LBB> What role did music play in the films?
Michael> Music plays an enormous role in most of the films I make. It is an art form that is really close to me and is one of my favourite parts of the filmmaking process. I always metabolise early thoughts and ideas when I’m writing and working on treatments. It helps me find the soul of the story. I also love creating playlists way ahead of production that I can later explore in the edit. ‘Concrete Jungle’ was a great example of this. Using Christine and the Queen’s ‘Full of Life’ in ‘Concrete Jungle’ gave the arc a major emotional punch, and we felt that impact immediately in the edit bay.
LBB> Tell me a bit more about the cinematography and what led your choices on it?
Michael> Both Chris Blauvelt and Drew Daniels were both very in tune with my own cinematic sensibility. These guys were incredibly instrumental in lighting and conveying the emotional worlds we had in mind for these films and characters. The process was largely intuitive and there was a shared language and an immediate shorthand we all had going into it.
LBB> What does the future of the project look like?
C+L> This year was super exciting for working with Prime as we got to tell a story around Prime’s new sponsorship and streaming rights for the National Women’s Soccer League in the US. We are looking forward to seeing how the platform develops as we work with Prime to continue supporting the ‘It’s On Prime’ mantra. Vamos!
