Amazon UK's latest ad features a heartwarming inter-faith friendship between a Muslim Imam and a Christian vicar. This is the second time since US President-elect Donald Trump's surprise victory that Amazon publicly affirms a commitment to diversity and tolerance.
On Monday, Amazon released an email CEO Jeff Bezos wrote to employees where he warns against "harassment of any kind."
"it’s not only that diversity and inclusion are good for our business. It’s more fundamental than that — it’s simply right. These are enduring values for us—and nothing will change that."
Amazon consulted with the Church of England, the Muslim Council of Great Britain and the Christian Muslim Forum as it created the Black Friday ad. The video will target audiences in the UK, the United States and Germany.
In the ad, an elderly imam pays a visit to his friend, an elderly vicar. They embrace as they meet at the door and then head to the salon to enjoy a cup of tea and friendly conversation.
Both men comment on their knees, noticeably feeling the strain of years of religious devotion, and a reference to the common practice of prostration.
They laugh as they struggle with sitting and standing, rubbing their knees with smiles on their faces.
"We think it is an authentic and charming story," Simon Morris, director of advertising at Amazon, told The Guardian.
"We think it is a legitimate story. We are conscious that some people may be sensitive to it. It is about selflessness and thinking of other people."
But, as the two men end part ways, they simultaneously get a clever idea.
Pulling out their mobile phones and opening their Amazon apps, they each order a small gift for each other, something that will make the strain of piety just a bit easier on their knees.
Can you guess what it is? Watch the video to find out.
The CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, was a vocal critic of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump throughout his divisive campaign, which repeatedly called for banning Muslims from entering the country, and is now reportedly renewing calls for a Muslim registry.
But after Trump's surprise victory, Bezos congratulated the billionaire reality star turned global leader via Twitter.