When Alexa goes missing, in step the stars
The first voice is of Gordon Ramsay who (as Alexa) is highly disappointed in a 32-year-old gent who asked him the recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich. The next one is Cardi B, who only plays “Bodak Yellow,” no matter how much the user insists she plays country music. Then comes Rebel Wilson, who is asked to set a mood for a party but makes the scene a little awkward with her alluring voice and inappropriate jokes. Finally, there comes Sir Anthony Hopkins in his role as Alexa, who instead of connecting the user with her friend, channels Hannibal Lecter, making chills run down spines!
The ad ends with Alexa (the REAL Alexa) thanking her replacements for their work, but taking back reins of the virtual assistant world in her own hands, or voice again.
Celebs galore, but the star is Alexa!
And seems to have succeeded. The 90-second ad pretty much ticks all the right boxes and has got people talking. Most important of all, while many may think that the celebrity faces (including Bezos) in the ad are the stars of the show, the real star remains the virtual assistant, Alexa.
Indeed, this is one of those very rare ads where in spite of having a number of well-known faces in it, the product still manages to shine through – in the end, the ad is really about Alexa. The ad establishes how not even the best performers in different fields (and they are all known for their speaking ability) can match what Alexa offers, thus putting the product right on top. The ad is super entertaining but at the same time informs and sells the product. It also very subtly shows what Alexa can do, how people can use it and the assistance it offers. And ah, how it is so much better than having a real assistant. We absolutely love the storyline. How Alexa losing her voice makes news around the world, as if it is some sort of natural disaster. Then all these well known and highly acclaimed celebrities try to fill in for Alexa’s voice, but it obviously doesn’t quite work out well. And yeah, Jeff Bezos also look really nice, sporting a secret agent-like look (put him in SHIELD, someone). It is not every day that you see a Tech CEO fitting right into an ad about his company’s products (remember Bill Gates not quite rocking it in spite of accompanying Jerry Seinfeld?)
Don’t touch that remote control
Mind you, Anthony Hopkins as Alexa… is sort of tempting. Oh all right, Alexa, you can take it from here. And thanks.
