Advertising Review
Report
—— “Alexa Loses Her Voice”
Name: Yue XIE (Victoria)
ID: 45390319
Date: April 2023
Course: ADVT7512
ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Table of Contents

1. Background ...................................................................................................................... 2
2. Ad Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 3
2.1 EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERTISING & REASONS ................................................................. 3
2.2 ADVERTISING INEFFECTIVENESS & REASONS ................................................................... 3
3. Target Audience ............................................................................................................... 5
4. Brand Positioning ............................................................................................................ 6
5. Key Messages................................................................................................................... 7
6. Ad Improvement Suggestions ........................................................................................ 8
7. Summary ........................................................................................................................... 9
8. Reference list .................................................................................................................. 10
9. Appendix ......................................................................................................................... 12
9.1 APPENDIX A: TARGET AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION ........................................................... 12
9.2 APPENDIX B: CUSTOMER PERSONA ................................................................................ 13
9.3 APPENDIX C: BRAND POSITIONING MAP .......................................................................... 14
9.4 APPENDIX D: BRAND MANTRA ........................................................................................ 15


ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Background
The Super Bowl is watched by millions of people worldwide. Therefore, brands are looking to
participate in advertising placements to increase awareness. (Hartmann & Klapper, 2018) The
Super Bowl’s ad is priced at an average of $5 million per 30 seconds, and Amazon is one of
the companies that are spending a lot of money on advertising. “Alexa Loses Her Voice" is an
ad for Alexa, an artificial intelligence assistant developed by Amazon. A teaser for the ad was
placed on social media before the game garnering 20 million views, then topped YouTube with
50 million views, putting Amazon in the spotlight with the ad and the media campaign. The ad
talks about Alexa's sudden "silence" one morning, Amazon HQ is anxious, and proposes a
temporary alternative: invite celebrities to voice Alexa, but the accidents keep coming. The
main idea of the ad was to make people convincing that Alexa is irreplaceable and that using
it is like talking to a real person, for promotional and sales purposes. Amazon used many
methods such as comedy, celebrity endorsement, and tone of voice to capture the audience's
attention.
This article will analyse the effectiveness of the content and strategy of the ads, as well as
research on audience demographics and brand positioning, and a discussion on the key
messages, strategies and appeals of the ads. The article will conclude with suggestions and
ideas for improvement in relation to the above aspects.

ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Ad Analysis
Effectiveness of advertising & Reasons
About this ad, the "setting", "close to life", "humour" and "fantasy " are effective and
can be felt visually through the number of views. This advertisement is a good
representation of the need for means-terminal chains, and the audience has a basic
knowledge of the uses of Alexa. It conveys the idea of convenience, high quality, and
the ability to help consumers live a more fast and high-tech life, thus improving the
quality of life and creating a consumer environment to guide them in their choices.
The viral marketing strategy of advertising is also effective. Leveraging interpersonal
networks to spread the word, the marketing message was quickly replicated to millions
of people, thereby increasing awareness (Koch & Benlian, 2015). Amazon's teaser
trailer was promoted by the stars in the commercial through social media, and the
timeliness and reach of social media effectively raised awareness for Alexa
(Karunarathne & Thilini, 2022). The Super Bowl is the most anticipated advertising
event, and Amazon's placement in the Super Bowl undoubtedly further boosted Alexa's
marketing, making it YouTube's favourite ad of the year. All in all, the ad was an
effective success in both showcasing Alexa's diversity and driving marketing.
Advertising Ineffectiveness & Reasons
However, it was ineffective in terms of product descriptions and ad messaging, both of
which negatively impact viewers when choosing a product. the Alexa ad was somewhat
lacking in terms of product proof and presentation. The lack of description prevents
viewers from having a clear understanding of Alexa through the ads and does not allow
viewers to have a specific understanding of the brand, such as what it is used for. On
the other hand, the amount of information in the content of the ad is not enough to
highlight the advantages and shape the characteristics of the product. Furthermore,
the advertisements are weak in terms of calls to action and do not explicitly or implicitly
ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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suggest that the audience should buy the product. Viewers can reach the cognitive and
preference stage by watching the ads, and perhaps search for them because they are
interested, but it is difficult for them to choose.






ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Target Audience
The audience of this ad is mainly those who are more avant-garde and want to get quick help
in their daily life and improve their quality of life. As shown in Appendix A, the deeper the
strategic market segmentation is in understanding the audience, the more targeted the media
strategy will be, thus reducing the risk of bad decisions.
The participants in the commercial are from different genders, ages, occupations, and
countries, so it can be determined that there is no gender, race, or age discrimination for the
target group, and it is applicable to all occupations. Through the participation of four stars, it
can be determined that fans are also part of the target audience, because fan responses could
boost sales (de Vries et al., 2012).
The commercial shows a comparison between the luxurious environment of the celebrity and
the environment of the user, which shows that Alexa is not only used by high level people, but
also by people who live in apartments and houses. The setting of this plot can dispel the
audience's class concerns, and any class of people can choose to use it. Thus, effectively
expanding the scope of consumers, which can be referred to the customer persona in
Appendix B. Young optimism is also a part of the audience's consideration, optimists will want
to experience a different life and improve the prospect of life.
The diversification of Amazon advertising makes it closer to life and more diversified, and
reflects the popularity and modernization of Amazon, and its concept and society keep pace
with the times, consistent with the target market, and are suitable for the audience.

ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Brand Positioning
Amazon's brand positioning is mainly high quality, high convenience, and high-cost
performance. As shown in Appendix C's brand positioning map, Alexa has a big
competitive advantage over other competitors. Apple's Home-pod has an advantage over
Alexa in terms of tone but is far more expensive. Xiaomi's voice assistant has more of a
price advantage but is not as good as Alexa in terms of quality. See Appendix D.
Amazon's advertising and marketing has been successful. The quality of its ads continues
to improve, with a witty and humorous approach that continues to bring excitement to the
audience. The more interesting and humorous the ads are, the more likely they are to be
accepted by viewers (Eisend, 2021).
The ad is presented humorously by first giving the viewer a conventional impression, and
then breaking it by replacing Alexa with a celebrity. No matter how the replacement acts,
viewers will only find the ad more humorous and funnier. At the same time, the influence
of the celebrity can promote the sales of the product (Nyamakanga et al., 2019). The
connection between the celebrity and the product makes this ad more interesting and
drives the viewers' desire to watch the ad, achieving significant results.








ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Key Messages
Alexa's three aspects of brand positioning, advertising strategy and appeals were
effectively established to provide viewers with a positive impression of the product.
Accurate tone and expression are an important way for Amazon to implement its approach.
The ads are mainly humorous, and are basically expressed in a casual tone of voice. For
example, Cardi B does not cooperate with the humorous appeal of the man's command
to play music, and the later horror appeal of Anthony's appearance to assist. Only the
tone at the beginning of the ad is more serious when Amazon HQ is frightened because
Alexa "lost her voice". These are all examples of celebrity failures to set up Alexa as
unique and friendly, and emotional appeals are key to brand loyalty (Chen et al., 2022).
Additionally, excellent use of text can also raise product awareness and induce a certain
level of trust that can promote new products (Choi et al., 2019). This ad uses only "alexa"
as the text of the logo, which focuses the viewer's attention and avoids complex content
that affects perception.
Moreover, the right choice of music can give enhanced visual retention to the viewer
(Hecker, 1984). The variety of music genres in the ad provides a diverse experience for
the viewer and is a means of attraction.



ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Ad Improvement Suggestions
From the aspect of the means-end chain (Kilwinger & Dam, 2021), the amount of
information described about the product is lacking and not enough to make the viewer
perceive the brand and the product. It also does not show the advantages and effective
appeal of the product, and therefore does not inspire the viewers to buy. In the era of
homogeneous competition, the product must have an outstanding advantage to give
consumers the illusion that your product is better than other brands (Vidler et al., 2018)
(Sosnovskij & Sulimov, 2016). I suggest that the advertisement can be a concise
introduction of the product using text to ensure that the audience understands the product's
function. At the same time, a good ad should resonate with consumers (Shang et al., 2017)
and can appeal by setting up multiple daily application scenarios using Alexa, highlighting
the advantages of the product, emphasizing the necessity of the product, and implying that
buying Alexa is a good choice. The above practices I think can effectively improve product
awareness, attract consumers' attention and interest, promote purchase, stimulate and
induce consumption (Shang et al., 2017).
From the point of view of advertising strategies, the fact that there is no mention of
purchase methods, product prices and special offers in the ads seriously affects the
viewers' purchasing decisions (Srinivasan et al., 2004). This situation will cause the brand
to lose some of its turnover. My suggestion is that you can mention the purchase channel
of the product at the end of the advertisement, as well as take some preferential policies
to stimulate consumers to buy and promote the product at the time of new product
promotion, which can greatly shorten the time of product entry into the market. It can also
create an image of scarcity (e.g. limited stock), forcing consumers to feel nervous, which
can quickly convey communication between supply and demand and accelerate the
circulation and sales of goods (Zhang et al., 2021).

ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Summary
Overall, the "Alexa Loses Her Voice" campaign was a huge success. The campaign was
successful because of its many strengths: accurate targeting, alignment with market
objectives, clear market positioning and high-quality content. The media strategy and the
choice of scope were clearly directed, which significantly reduced the risk. In addition, it
also meets the criteria for celebrity endorsement, humorous effects, and excellent
communication media. It brilliantly demonstrates its strengths and successes and shows
its reliability to the audience.



ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)

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Reference list
Chen, L., Chen, G., Ma, S., & Wang, S. (2022). Idol Worship: How Does It Influence Fan
Consumers' Brand Loyalty? Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 850670–850670.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.850670

Choi, Y. K., Yoon, S., Kim, K., & Kim, Y. (2019). Text versus pictures in advertising: effects
of psychological distance and product type. International Journal of Advertising, 38(4), 528–
543. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2019.1607649

De Vries, L., Gensler, S., & Leeflang, P. S. H. (2012). Popularity of Brand Posts on Brand
Fan Pages: An Investigation of the Effects of Social Media Marketing. Journal of Interactive
Marketing, 26(2), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2012.01.003

Eisend, M. (2022). The influence of humor in advertising: Explaining the effects of humor in
two‐sided messsages. Psychology & Marketing, 39(5), 962–973.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21634

Hartmann, W. R., & Klapper, D. (2018). Super Bowl Ads. Marketing Science (Providence,
R.I.), 37(1), 78–96. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1055

Hecker, S. (1984). Music for advertising effect. Psychology & Marketing, 1(3-4), 3–8.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.4220010303

Karunarathne, E. A. C. P., & Thilini, W. A. (2022). Advertising Value Constructs’ Implication
on Purchase Intention: Social Media Advertising. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge
Economy, 10(3), 287–303. https://doi.org/10.2478/mdke-2022-0019

Kilwinger, F. B. ., & van Dam, Y. K. (2021). Methodological considerations on the means-
end chain analysis revisited. Psychology & Marketing, 38(9), 1513–1524.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21521

Kirill N. Sosnovskij, & Alexander Yu. Sulimov. (2016). DEMAND ILLUSION AS A WAY TO
REDUCE COSTS. Statistika i Èkonomika, 1, 124–127. https://doi.org/10.21686/2500-3925-
2014-1-124-127
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Koch, O. F., & Benlian, A. (2015). Promotional Tactics for Online Viral Marketing Campaigns:
How Scarcity and Personalization Affect Seed Stage Referrals. Journal of Interactive
Marketing, 32, 37–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2015.09.005

Nyamakanga, N. F., Viljoen, K., & Ford, M. (2019). Local and international celebrity
endorsers’ credibility and consumer purchase intentions. Acta Commercii, 19(1), 1–9.
https://doi.org/10.4102/ac.v19i1.780

Shang, S. S. C., Wu, Y.-L., & Sie, Y.-J. (2017). Generating consumer resonance for
purchase intention on social network sites. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 18–28.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.12.014

Srinivasan, S., Pauwels, K., Hanssens, D. M., & Dekimpe, M. G. (2004). Do Promotions
Benefit Manufacturers, Retailers, or Both? Management Science, 50(5), 617–629.
https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0225

Vidler, A., Stoneham, M., Edmunds, M., & Sartori, A. (2018). The illusion of choice: an
exploratory study looking at the top 10 food companies in Australia and their brand connections.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 42(6), 519–522.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12828

Zhang, K., Cai, F., & Shi, Z. (2021). Do Promotions Make Consumers More Generous? The
Impact of Price Promotions on Consumers’ Donation Behavior. Journal of Marketing, 85(3),
240–255. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242920988253


ID: 45390319 ADVT7512 — Advertising Review Report Yue XIE (Victoria)
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Appendix
Appendix A: Target audience segmentation
Geographic Demographic Psychographic Behavioural
Birthplace: Unlimited
Residence: Unlimited
Nationality: Unlimited
Age: Unlimited
Job: Unlimited
Marital status: Unlimited
Personality:
Curiosity, exploration
Hobby: Intelligence
Lifestyle: high quality,
high convenience
Purchase habits:
Online shopping or
offline stores
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Appendix B: Customer persona
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HIGH
Low
Low
Price
Quality
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Appendix D: Brand mantra
And you’re done
A Real Company in a Virtual World.
Think Different
The perfect search engine, do not be evil
As the Chinese own search engine, the
largest Chinese search engine，
Born for You, Burn for MI