Carrie Underwood Made a Holiday Ad, and Single, for Amazon Ring

Amazon’s Ring video doorbell stages an upbeat holiday celebration in a new spot starring Carrie Underwood. She sings “Favorite Time of Year,” a track released exclusively this week on Amazon Music.

Developed with Riotmaker director Rob Soucy, the :30 wouldn’t feel out of place in a pre-pandemic Christmas, harkening back to simpler times with snowy streets, carolers and gifts by the score:

“The holidays may look a bit different this year, but the season remains such a special time for our customers. This campaign is just one of the ways we can celebrate and share the magic of the holidays with them,” Ring global head of brand and content Karni Baghdikian tells Muse.

“We filmed in Van Nuys on an 80-degree day and lucked out with cloud cover through much of the morning,” Baghdikian recalls. “Funny enough, we thought it would be even warmer, so we had more than enough fake snow. When we came back to the set the next day, it still hadn’t fully melted.”

The song itself features among a slate of original Amazon Music content. Other highlights (though they won’t appear in ads) include Justin Bieber’s rendition of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”; Mary J. Blige’s take on “Last Christmas”; and José Feliciano’s reimagined version of his classic “Feliz Navidad,” which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

“This holiday season, it’s important for us to bring our customers more reasons to smile, and to create ways for them to connect with their favorite artists while at home with family,” says Amazon Music vice president Ryan Redington. “In the days leading up to Christmas last year, our listeners requested holiday music more than 11 million times per day, and nearly 8,000 times per minute worldwide, and we can’t wait to see that trend continue.”

In December, Amazon Music will launch a video series probing the stories behind holiday hits, “Feliz Navidad” among them, and also spotlight the career of Darlene Love, who sings “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).” Today, the brand debuts “Dolly Parton’s Comin’ Home for Christmas,” featuring a performance and Q&A with fans, via its Twitch channel and at Amazon.com/live.

CREDITS

Global Head of Brand and Content: Karni Baghdikian
Creative Director: Russell Der
Sr. Copywriter: Daphne Chan
Executive Producer: Reilly Park
Marketing Manager: Heather Waymouth
Production Company: Riotmaker
Director: Rob Soucy
Editor: Jared Coller (Nomad Editing Co.)
Visual Effects: Riotmaker
Mix: Chris Winston (Onmix)