Amazon’s Unusual Brand Of Celebrity Endorsements

Sometimes, the money that athletes and celebrities pull in through endorsement deals can dwarf whatever money they make doing whatever it was that made them famous. Thanks to Amazon, whatever money the country’s best spellers get from correctly identifying the silent letters in Latin-rooted words might pale in comparison to their new deals.

Mashable reported that Amazon produced two 30-second TV spots to air during the Thursday (May 26) night finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The commercials feature several participants in the spelling competition as they pontificate on what drives them to study in the way they do and what they fill their free time with when they’re not turning the pages of the Oxford English Dictionary. The spelling bee participants’ families also feature in the ads, which emphasize the nature of reading and reading-positive cultures in the home as a way to drive interest toward Amazon’s growing family of Kindle devices.

All promotional considerations aside, Neil Lindsay, vice president of devices at Amazon, told Mashable that tying the daunting nature of the Scripps National Spelling Bee and the participants’ enthusiasm together is a sure-fire hit for its 30-second spots.

“We wanted to make sure they focused on the kids,” Lindsay said. “We frankly wanted to shed light on just how difficult this competition is and what it takes to be a champion. These are not easy words, and it’s impressive to watch a six-year-old accurately and enthusiastically spell out loud a word you’ve likely never even heard before.”

The winner of the national spelling bee is awarded a $40,000 cash prize, but if they parlay their newfound fame into sneaker or Pepsi deals, their fortunes are just beginning.