Amazon sees itself as “a company of pioneers”, “inventing on behalf of customers”. It constantly tests unknown waters and enters new categories – from fashion and groceries to consumer electronics and streaming services. Amazon admits that it’s aware that not all its ventures will be successful but believes the effort is worth it for those that are. Jeff Bezos, the company’s executive chairman and former president and CEO, said: “Our passion for pioneering will drive us to explore narrow passages, and, unavoidably, many will turn out to be blind alleys. But – with a bit of good fortune – there will also be a few that open up into broad avenues.”^[1]

The Amazon brand represents an extreme version of the customer-centric approach. It’s based on three rational benefits: the widest selection of products, the lowest prices and the convenience of delivery. These benefits have been part of the brand’s DNA for years and the company’s senior management takes them very seriously. Jeff Bezos said: “We have strong conviction that customers value low prices, vast selection, and fast, convenient delivery and that these needs will remain stable over time. It is difficult for us to imagine that ten years from now, customers will want higher prices, less selection, or slower delivery.” ^[2]

Since Amazon began entering new categories (e.g., consumer electronics and streaming services), it has been competing with companies whose brand and communication strategies are different from its own in that the emotional component plays a much bigger role. As a result, Amazon has moved towards a more emotive approach and made its communication warmer and more human.

Amazon’s brand architecture is based on the branded house framework. Amazon constantly expands its scope of business and enters new categories using the company’s name as the umbrella brand. All Amazon sub-brands are tightly linked to Amazon – e.g., Amazon Prime, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Echo, Amazon Fashion, even Fire TV is strongly endorsed by Amazon. It allows the brand to build awareness of new products and categories quicker but at the same time restricts creating separate sub-brand identities.

The Amazon brand, with its focus on efficiency, excellence, delivering its promises and getting things done quickly, is an example of a Hero brand. Its name might suggest the presence of the Explorer archetype elements but apart from the associations with the greatest river in the world, they are almost non-existent in the brand’s communication (even though some marketing publications suggest otherwise).

Amazon is also well-known as an employer brand and has a strong employer value proposition (EVP). The EVP is in line with Amazon’s overall brand strategy and is based on the 16 famous leadership principles which are at the core of the company’s culture ( e.g., “Bias for Action”, “Deliver Results” or “Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit”)^[3]. Amazon claims: “Our Leadership Principles aren’t just a pretty inspirational wall hanging. These Principles work hard, just like we do. Amazonians use them, every day, whether they’re discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a customer’s problem, or interviewing candidates. It’s just one of the things that makes Amazon peculiar.” ^[4]