3G Amazon Kindle book reader | Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Amazon has turned to a new agency to create ads for the Kindle.
The hiring of Walrus follows a review in which Droga5 and Amalgamated were the other finalists. Previously, Amazon worked directly with production companies like Eyeball to produce Kindle advertising.
Media spending behind the Kindle jumped to more than $82 million last year, from just $18 million or so in 2009, according to Nielsen. Those figures don’t include online spending.
Past ads for the brand touted its glare-free screen and affordability—both digs against the more expensive and glare-prone iPad. One spot, from late 2010, was set at an outdoor pool and featured a thirtysomething guy who gets agitated when he sees his reflection on his electronic reader.
Noticing that the woman next to him has no such problem, he says, “Excuse me, how are you reading that, in this light?”
“It’s a Kindle,” she replies. “A hundred thirty-nine dollars. I actually paid more for these sunglasses.”
On Youtube.com, the poolside ad has been viewed more than 2.1 million times.
Kindle becomes one of the largest accounts at Walrus, a one-office shop in New York that also works for AMC, The Economist and CW-X. The agency declined to comment, and the Seattle-based Amazon did not return messages.
Historically, Amazon has hired agencies on a project basis. Berlin Cameron United in New York, for example, handles creative projects for Amazon.com. The agency has worked for the company since 2009.
