Amazon Emphasizing Catalogs, Inserts Instead of TV Ads for Holiday

Seattle–Online behemoth Amazon.com has announced it has retired its traditional holiday television advertising campaign this year. The company will no longer run its retro advertising spots featuring the “Sweatermen,” a chorus of sweater-clad men singing Amazon’s praises which have run for the past two years. With the exception of a few 10-second spots following some NBC shows, Amazon says it’s not running traditional TV ads this holiday season. Instead, the company is concentrating its marketing dollars on newspaper inserts, larger print catalogs, and even a tie-in with fast-food chain Burger King. The marketing changes follow a split last December between Amazon and ad agency FCB Worldwide, which produced the Sweatermen spots. Amazon’s new agency is Wieden & Kennedy.