Skip to main content
close search
site logo
Dive Brief

Amazon teases star-studded ad for its Super Bowl debut

Published Jan. 28, 2016
By
Ian P. Murphy
YouTube

Dive Brief:

  • Amazon.com will run its first Super Bowl ad next Sunday, starring Alec Baldwin, Dan Marino, and Alexa, the digital assistant inside its Echo appliance.
  • A 30-second teaser for the forthcoming ad (hashtagged #BaldwinBowl) shows the three in a clubby sitting room, brainstorming ideas for a Super Bowl party. 
  • CBS is charging $5 million to air a 30-second spot, and viewership of the event is expected to meet or exceed 2015’s 114.4 million. 

Dive Insight:

In an unexpected move, Amazon.com will run its first-ever Super Bowl ad, starring actor Alec Baldwin, former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino and Alexa, the voice of the Amazon Echo in-home speaker appliance. 

The tech giant doesn’t need television ads to build brand recognition, of course, but the Echo—Amazon’s gateway to the Internet of Things—is just beginning to get traction in American homes. In addition to accepting voice commands to adjust linked thermostats or play music, the system allows users to re-order Prime-eligible products by announcing their wants to Alexa.

As the largest-viewership broadcast by far worldwide, the Super Bowl may be the one ad buy left that reaches almost everyone—even consumers who have never used Amazon or habitually skip ads on their DVRs and smartphone screens. And since the ads are almost as big an event as the game itself (or bigger, depending on the matchup), the $5 million price tag is still a bargain for brands.

Recommended Reading

Filed Under: Marketing, DTC

Editors' picks

  • Shoppers walk by boarded-up windows in front of a brick, Old Navy building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What 5 charts say about the pandemic’s impact on retail, 5 years later

    The industry may be far from the dramatic day-to-day struggles of 2020, but it hasn’t yet escaped the long tail the global health crisis left in its wake.

    By Cara Salpini • March 3, 2025
  • A group of diverse professionals are brainstorming ideas while standing around a glass wall with sticky notes.
    Image attribution tooltip
    LaylaBird via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    DEI could get better than ever

    The intense pressure to end diversity initiatives has led companies to scrutinize their policies. Many will end up making them stronger.

    By Daphne Howland • Feb. 13, 2025

Company Announcements

View all | Post a press release
Temu Strengthens Commitment to Quality Assurance with Eurofins Consumer Products Testing Partn…
From Temu
April 07, 2025
WHSmith North America Modernizes Its Retail Tech Stack with Aptos and the Cloud
From Aptos
April 16, 2025
Jesta I.S. Announces Vision Suite 360 to Power the Combined B2B and B2C Strategies of Vertical…
From Jesta I.S. Inc.
April 15, 2025
Sunday Swagger Announces New Collaboration with Guinness®
From Sunday Swagger
April 25, 2025
Editors' picks
  • Shoppers walk by boarded-up windows in front of a brick, Old Navy building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What 5 charts say about the pandemic’s impact on retail, 5 years later

    The industry may be far from the dramatic day-to-day struggles of 2020, but it hasn’t yet escaped the long tail the global health crisis left in its wake.

    By Cara Salpini • March 3, 2025
  • A group of diverse professionals are brainstorming ideas while standing around a glass wall with sticky notes.
    Image attribution tooltip
    LaylaBird via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Deep Dive

    DEI could get better than ever

    The intense pressure to end diversity initiatives has led companies to scrutinize their policies. Many will end up making them stronger.

    By Daphne Howland • Feb. 13, 2025
Latest in Marketing
Industry Dive is an Informa TechTarget business.
© 2025 TechTarget, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. | View our other publications | Privacy policy | Terms of use | Take down policy.
Cookie Preferences / Do Not Sell
This website is owned and operated by Informa TechTarget, part of a global network that informs, influences and connects the world's technology buyers and sellers. All copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. TechTarget, Inc.'s registered office is 275 Grove St. Newton, MA 02466.