Amazon is making a fresh investment in holiday advertising after a successful year of rerunning old creative.
The retailer launched "Joy Delivered," its first new holiday hero film since 2024.
It follows Joy, played by New Zealand actress Kate Laidler, whose Christmas Eve flight home gets canceled because of severe weather.
Determined to reach her family, she begins a journey across unfamiliar places, relying on strangers who help her get home.
Joy repays their kindness by giving each person an Amazon package intended for a family member.
By the time she reunites with her mother, she has given away every gift she packed.
"Holiday nostalgia hits hard because it’s tied directly to the people we love," Jo Shoesmith, Amazon's VP and Global Chief Brand Officer told DesignRush.
"That's why Joy Delivered brings back classic storytelling with a tale about the journey home and the kindness of strangers who help along the way"
"At Amazon, meaningful connection is what we do. This season, we're celebrating the moments that matter most."
The film uses a bespoke rendition of The Beatles' "Golden Slumbers."
Its opening lyric, "Once there was a way to get back homeward," sets the emotional direction for the story.
This film follows Amazon's decision to rerun its 2023 holiday commercial, "Joy Ride," in 2025.
The original campaign performed strongly in effectiveness testing, giving Amazon evidence that existing creative could still deliver.
Brands must often decide when proven advertising deserves another run and when fresh production can justify its cost.
Amazon's production model adds another dimension.
The company moved its holiday flagship away from external creative agency Lucky Generals after 2022.
Its internal team subsequently led the work with external production partners.
"Joy Delivered" puts this ad strategy back in focus as brands assess the cost of in-house creative capabilities and outsourced support.
Amazon's 5-Year Holiday Creative Strategy
Amazon's holiday advertising history shows how the company changed its approach to creative development while retaining a consistent storytelling style.
Lucky Generals created two earlier holiday campaigns for Amazon.
Its 2021 film, "Kindness, the Greatest Gift," explored generosity through a story about a young girl.
In 2022, the agency released "Joy Is Made," directed by Taika Waititi and produced by Hungry Man.
Amazon's internal creative team took the lead with 2023's "Joy Ride."
Directed by Wayne McClammy and produced by Hungry Man, the film followed three older friends who rediscover their love of sledding.
The women order seat cushions through Amazon before heading back to the slopes.
This film also used an instrumental version of The Beatles' "In My Life."
Amazon retained the same production arrangement for 2024's "Midnight Opus."
In 2025, Amazon brought back "Joy Ride" instead of commissioning another holiday hero film.
The company redirected the production savings into media spend. System1's testing also supported the decision.
The 2025 U.S. holiday ranking gave "Joy Ride" 5.7 stars, while its U.K. assessment recorded 5.9 stars.
The 2026 film returns to new production while retaining familiar creative cues.
Its Beatles soundtrack also connects the latest campaign to Amazon's previous holiday work.
Amazon's approach illustrates how brands can maintain a recognizable creative identity while changing their production and media investment decisions.
92% of Brands With In-House Teams Still Use Agencies
Amazon's production model reflects a wider trend toward hybrid creative operations.
The ANA's 2023 survey of 162 marketers found that 82% had an in-house agency, up from 78% in 2018.
Yet 92% of respondents with in-house capabilities also worked with external agencies.
On average, internal teams handled 61% of their companies' work.
Brands primarily cited capacity and specialist capabilities as reasons to retain outside partners.
The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) found a similar pattern among multinational brands.
Its 2023 survey of 45 companies, representing an estimated $60 billion in annual ad spending, found that all respondents continued working with external agencies.
Meanwhile, 56% expected to move more digital production in-house over the following three years.
This points to continued demand for flexible agency partnerships as internal creative teams expand.
Brands planning an in-house creative strategy can take three lessons from Amazon's advertising decisions:
Evaluate Creative Before Recommissioning Production
Brands should compare the effectiveness of existing campaigns with the expected value of new creative before approving production budgets.
System1 gave Amazon's "Joy Ride" 5.7 stars in its 2025 U.S. holiday rankings, supporting the decision to reuse the advertisement.
Retain External Production Expertise
Brands with internal creative teams should identify where specialist directors and production companies can strengthen campaign execution.
Amazon worked with Hungry Man and director Wayne McClammy on both its 2023 and 2024 holiday films.
Give Recognizable Creative Assets Room to Work
Brands should establish recurring creative elements that help audiences recognize campaigns across different years.
Amazon used The Beatles' "In My Life" in its 2023 holiday film and returned to the band's catalog with "Golden Slumbers" in 2026.
Amazon's strategy gives brands a practical framework for connecting creative investment, agency partnerships, and long-term brand recognition.
Our Take: Can Amazon Keep Its Holiday Ads Fresh?
"Joy Delivered" uses a familiar holiday premise, but its central device gives Amazon a useful brand role.
The packages become tokens of gratitude as Joy meets people who help her reach home.
This also gives the campaign a subtle product connection.
Amazon's delivery service supports the story without requiring a conventional product demonstration.
We see a potential risk in repeating the same emotional formula too often.
Audiences may recognize the storytelling approach before they connect with the new characters or campaign idea.
Amazon needs each new production to offer a distinct reason for viewers to remember the brand.
Its ability to commission fresh stories while retaining recognizable creative assets will count as the holiday ad market rewards both effectiveness and originality.
Amazon's return to original holiday production also follows other major retailers commissioning new seasonal campaigns.
Lucky Generals' 2026 Christmas campaign for ASDA offers another example of how brands use agency partnerships to bring their holiday advertising to life.
Brands reviewing their in-house production capabilities can compare specialist partners on DesignRush.
Explore these top video production companies to find teams that can bring large-scale brand campaigns to life.
