You know what everyone in marketing is chasing right now? AI tools. Digital activations. Shiny new ways to deliver the same old messages. And yet, one of the most effective advertising moves of 2025 doesn’t involve pixels or algorithms. It involves paper. Yes, paper.
I’m talking about the Amazon Holiday Catalog for kids.
The audacity of going offline
Let’s take a moment to appreciate the courage it takes to send physical mail in 2025. In an age when brands are obsessing over personalization engines and predictive models, Amazon decided to print a catalog and mail it to millions of homes. That’s not nostalgia, that’s strategy. Because when you think about what great advertising is supposed to do, this checks every box.
1. Break through.
My daughter sees ads all the time – YouTube, TV, tablets – but she almost never checks the mail. So when something colorful and tactile shows up, she’s instantly curious. The catalog isn’t just another screen; it’s a novelty.
2. Capture attention.
Digital ads flicker in and out of focus, but a catalog stays in hand. Kids flip through, touch, linger. One parent summed it up perfectly: “My kids have been studying it like there will be a test.”
That’s not a scroll. That’s immersion.
3. Drive conversion.
Parents have told me their kids literally circled the entire catalog. Every toy, every gadget, every page. It’s like a holiday wish-list generator with built-in emotional targeting.
And it solves one of the biggest seasonal pain points: decision fatigue. Because let’s be honest, we all end up asking ourselves “What should I get them?” come December.
The brilliance of the obvious
Here’s the twist: this isn’t innovation. It’s rediscovery. Amazon, the company that redefined retail and practically made physical stores obsolete, is reminding us that tangibility still wins hearts.
Sometimes we stop doing things not because they stopped working, but because they stopped feeling modern. We assume “old” means “obsolete.” But marketing isn’t about being new; it’s about being noticed. And in a sea of sameness, old can feel refreshingly new. The real genius here isn’t the paper, it’s the context. A catalog feels personal precisely because everything else feels digital. It’s the equivalent of sending a handwritten note in a world of templated emails.
What this means for marketers
I’m not suggesting everyone should start mailing glossy brochures again (please, don’t!). But the principle is worth studying:
Scarcity creates attention. When everyone goes digital, analog stands out.
Tactility builds memory. Our brains are wired to remember things we physically touch.
Simplicity feels luxurious. In an age of infinite choice, curated selection feels like relief.
So maybe the lesson isn’t “bring back print.” Maybe it’s “bring back focus.”
A few practical takeaways
When you plan your next campaign, ask yourself:
- Are you actually breaking through or just adding noise?
- Could a physical experience help people engage longer?
- Is there something you stopped doing that worked beautifully before?
Innovation isn’t always about invention. Sometimes it’s about remembering what used to work and using it in a new light. Like mailing a catalog that makes kids run to the mailbox.
The full circle moment
There’s something ironic about Amazon the digital disruptor of retail now using one of retail’s oldest tricks. It’s the marketing equivalent of seeing a DJ pull out a vinyl record. We call it retro. But really, it’s just timeless craft rediscovered.
In a world that’s rushing to automate creativity, maybe the smartest move you can make is to slow down and re-humanize it. Sometimes, progress means going full circle. And sometimes, the best ad of the year is sitting right there on your kitchen table, covered in crayon circles, sticky fingerprints, and the unmistakable mark of attention well earned.
