Alexa Loses Her Voice

Why it works

Alexa coughs mid-forecast and falls silent, and Jeff Bezos, playing himself, is assured by his staff that replacements are standing by. Gordon Ramsay then berates a man who cannot make a grilled cheese, Cardi B scoffs at a question about Mars, Rebel Wilson purrs from a bubble bath when asked to set the mood, and Anthony Hopkins channels Hannibal Lecter before the real Alexa returns. Made by London's Lucky Generals with Amazon's in-house D1 team and directed by Wayne McClammy, the 90-second spot aired in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018. It is studied as demonstration by absence: rather than list features, it proves the product's worth by imagining it gone, with each cameo standing in for an everyday request. It won USA Today's 30th Ad Meter, Amazon's first, was nominated for the 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Commercial, and The Drum later placed it among the 100 best ads ever made.