5 Minutes with… Jo Shoesmith

There aren’t a lot of brands like Amazon. In fact, there might not be any brands like Amazon. The online retailer’s success has awarded it a place of ubiquity and unparalleled relevance for so many of us around the world – and the result is that Amazon needs to contend with some fairly unique communications challenges. 

How do you find the balance between scale and localism in your campaigns? How do you keep earning an audience’s attention when they already know your brand so well? And what’s the secret to continuing to surprise and delight customers when you’re so firmly established that you’re essentially in a category all of your own? 

As Amazon’s global CCO, Jo Shoesmith wrestles with questions like those. Having joined the brand in 2020 following a career spent agency-side, Jo has helped Amazon go from strength to strength, and played a pivotal role in defining the culture of the brand’s in-house agency. To discuss all of this and more, LBB’s Adam Bennett caught up with Jo… 

LBB> Jo, you grew up in a rural farming area of Australia. What kind of perspective do you think that gave you, and at what stage did you first know that you wanted to pursue a creative career?

Jo> Growing up in rural Australia gave me a unique sense of resourcefulness, and what it meant to work hard. At the same time, there’s a lot of space and freedom where your imagination has room to run wild. I first realised I wanted to pursue a creative life when I picked up a pencil and started drawing the things that were in my head.

 

LBB> Over the course of your career, you’ve helped put together three major Super Bowl ads. Without wanting to give the secret formula away… what makes a Super Bowl ad truly great, in your experience?

Jo> A great Super Bowl ad does three things exceptionally well: it connects emotionally, stands out creatively, and leaves the audience with a crystal-clear takeaway. Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just about selling a product; it’s about creating a cultural moment. Whether it’s humour, heart, or shock value, the ad needs to earn its place in the post-game conversations. And at the heart of it, there’s always an insight that resonates universally – something people feel more than they hear.

 

LBB> And in what ways are the fundamentals of your job different now that you’re working brand-side? What are the advantages?

Jo> On the brand side, you’re embedded in the heartbeat of the business. You have a deeper understanding of the brand’s long-term vision, its operational realities, and its customers. I came in with a plan to take my favorite parts of agency life and combine them with the proximity you get from sitting brand-side. The result is a culture that feels uniquely our own – a culture where creativity isn’t just owned by the creative department, but rather the entire organisation. 

LBB> It’s hard to think of a brand more deeply embedded in every aspect of modern life than Amazon. What’s the biggest challenge you encounter when working with a brand of that scale?

Jo> The scale of Amazon is both its greatest asset and its biggest challenge. On one hand, you have unparalleled resources and reach. On the other, you’re constantly balancing global consistency with local relevance. The key is finding universal truths that resonate across diverse audiences while leaving room for personalisation. It’s about threading the needle between being relatable and being expansive.

LBB> Your Black Friday campaign with Adam Driver is brilliantly entertaining – what inspired you to use real-life product reviews?

Jo> Reviews are such a foundational part of Amazon’s ecosystem, so it felt natural to spotlight them in a way that was both authentic and unexpected. The inspiration came from wanting to celebrate how reviews bring products to life through customers’ eyes. By blending humor with hyper-dramatic storytelling – courtesy of Adam Driver – we turned something as mundane as a review into a moment worth remembering.

LBB> Were there any challenges in working with a high-profile actor like Adam Driver, and how did your team navigate them?

Jo> With someone like Adam, the challenge is often about balancing the actor’s unique presence with the brand’s voice. Luckily, Adam was all in – he embraced the humor and brought his trademark intensity to the role. The key was giving him a clear vision while allowing room for his creativity. 

A strong collaboration starts with mutual trust, and that’s exactly what we had. Adam brings an intensity that contrasts beautifully with humour. He has a way of making absurd situations feel grounded, which was perfect for the campaign’s tone. Plus, he’s got that unmistakable charisma that draws people in – a must for any Black Friday campaign where standing out is non-negotiable.

 

LBB> Is there a difference in how you approach Black Friday ads compared to, say, other important dates on the calendar? 

Jo> Absolutely. Black Friday ads need to break through the noise and create excitement for the event. It’s all about matching the message to the mindset of the audience at that time.

LBB> Outside of your work, where do you find your inspiration?

Jo> Everywhere, really. I draw inspiration from film, art, music, and even quiet moments in nature. Travel is another big one – it’s fascinating to see how different cultures tell stories. But most of all, I find inspiration in people. Watching how they interact with the world always sparks ideas.

LBB> Finally, imagine you had a time machine and the ability to share one piece of advice with your past self. What advice would you give, and why?

Jo> I have a ton of advice for my younger self, but I’m not sure she’d listen.