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Move Over, Black Friday, Here Comes Prime Day

Amazon is looking to create a little Black Friday magic (and increase its $99 annual Prime memberships, no doubt) this summer. 

In honor of its 20th anniversary, Amazon is designating Wednesday, July 15 as “Prime Day,” a day-long event in which the company’s Prime membership holders can shop flash deals, “deals of the day” and unlimited free shipping. (Those who aren’t Prime members can sign up for a 30-day free trial before the 15th to participate, according to the company.)

“Prime Day was conceived to celebrate Amazon’s 20th birthday and give our Prime members a fun day to shop filled with seemingly endless amounts of deals,” Amazon representative Julie Law, tells Marketing Daily. “There will be thousands of Lightning Deals in the U.S. alone, and seven popular Deals of the Day. We haven't shared any deals yet but plan to provide some sneak previews soon.”

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To promote the day, Amazon is holding a #PrimeLiving photo contest. For the contest (which also hypes the company’s unlimited secure photo service for prime members), Amazon is encouraging Prime members to take a selfie, showing how Prime has enabled some of their happier moments (such as giving them more time to walk the dog or getting the right gift or outfit in time for a summer party). Prime members who upload a photo on the company’s contest page between July 6 and July 15, with photos selected daily to be featured on Amazon’s social channel. In each of the eight countries where Prime is available, one entrant will win a $10,000 Amazon gift card based on how their photo captures a moment of #PrimeLiving. 

To further promote the day, Amazon commissioned artists in eight Prime-eligible cities (Tokyo, Toronto, Milan, Seattle, Berlin, London, Paris and Barcelona) to create a piece of public art based on their interpretations of Prime Living. The pieces — showcased in a video here — included a truck loaded with boxes that would drive through London (with the sides decorated as if it were being loaded by musicians and other intriguing characters), a family opening a box of “happiness” in Tokyo and people happily using their free time for fun activities, rather than shopping.

1 comment about "Move Over, Black Friday, Here Comes Prime Day".
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  1. Karen Ticktin from brandthis, July 7, 2015 at 3:02 p.m.

    Crazy to think that Amazon is 20! Talk about a game changer.

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