Created by Lucky Generals and starring French ballet dancer Taïs Vinolo, Amazon’s Christmas ad, ‘The Show Must Go On,’ follows the story of a young ballet dancer whose dreams of dancing in a lead role are jeopardised by the pandemic. Despite losing hope after her school closes and her big performance is cancelled, the support of friends and family sees her performing to neighbours from the outdoors. Despite profiting heavily from the pandemic, Amazon was keen to turn attention away from their personal success. “Our TV ad is inspired by, and pays tribute to, the unbeatable human spirit and the power of community that we have witnessed so often this year,” says Simon Morris, vice-president global creative at Amazon.

Bracing themselves for a very different kind of festive season ahead, 48% of Britons report feeling less excited about Christmas 2020. And with economic anxiety front-of-mind for many, 43% of young workers and families are concerned that they won't be able to spend big on Christmas this year. Looking for brands to match the collective mood, 63% think that brands should cut back on lavish Christmas ad spending. Having just experienced its most profitable quarter on record, raking in $6.33 billion - an increase of 196.7% from 2019 - Amazon couldn't be further from many of its consumers and brands this Christmas. Yet with only 8% of consumers believing that the pandemic should stop brands advertising altogether, and 71% agreeing they would lose trust in a brand forever if they perceived it to be putting profit over people, the pressure is on to hit the right note.

By removing themselves and material offerings from the equation, there’s room for brands to use this year as an opportunity to offer messages of support, provided they are authentic and true, as opposed to the predictable and repetitive brand messaging that dominated screens in the early stages of the pandemic. Brands looking to capture attention in a positive way would do well to stay away from clichés and find new ways to frame festive moments of solidarity and hope that consumers are looking for.

Matilda Ruck is a Behavioural Analyst at Canvas8. She has a degree in Politics and Philosophy as well as a foundation in psychotherapy and is passionate about exploring the interplay between creativity, psychology and culture. Outside of work, you can find her writing short stories, tending to her ginger cat Thomas O’Malley or oscillating between yoga and karaoke practice.