Bookshop.org has made an innovative and rather daring dig at Amazon, pointing at Jeff Bezos’s new marriage proposal. This action was made as Amazon rang in its annual Prime Day sale, which through this move has lasted the entire four days as opposed to a single day as before.
Bookshop.org, a site that helps independent bookstores capitalize on the moment to bring its sale, which comes with a message. Though a lot of small shops are competing with Amazon during Prime Day, Bookshop.org opted to make themselves different by using humor and social commentary. Their advertisement does not only show that they are going to sell but they also refer to the greater context: where your money leads. The message is explicit: you go and use your money to pay those who will benefit the locals as opposed to the billionaires who are spending fifty million dollars on their weddings.
The design of the wedding invite of Bezos was widely laughed upon as the company satirized it. Critics took swipes and mocked that it had been designed with Microsoft Word clip art because of its unstable design which looks better suited to the wedding of a billionaire in Venice.
Bookshop.org made a sardonic point in imitating the same elementary style in its promo. They not only gave it the strength and prosperity of Amazon but it’s an out of touch image as well. The advertisement itself reads that the consumer will get shipping free of cost and that they will know that the money will be spent to promote independent bookstores and not crazy big money makers. It is brief, bright and infant savvy, also enlightening people who are conscious of what happens with their money. Such marketing is effective since it combines jokes with morality. Human beings desire to laugh and it is also expected that they purchase based on their values.
The wedding of Bezos was also notorious for its excessive expenses and the place of venue. When the wealthy celebrated in Venice the people of Venice were in protest against these parties and how this affected their city. Bookshop.org seized the opportunity to address the complexity of the difference between the prominent industry leaders who make billions of dollars and small businesses that hardly manage to exist.
Ultimately, Bookshop.org does not only promote books. It is a matter of choice. And even during Prime Day they reminded people that shopping in independent stores is also a statement in itself.
