PaperSpecs Presents: Alexa Children’s Day Promo

However quickly children adapt to technology, sometimes they need a helping hand to get acquainted with specific gadgets for the very first time.

That’s why when Amazon wanted to entice Mexico’s children into using the voice-activated smart assistant Alexa, the creative team they approached turned to an older technology – the advent calendar – while employing a fun new twist.

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Sent to the homes of “child influencers” and celebrities in Mexico, the package, designed by agency Primitivo, was framed as a piece celebrating Día del niño, or “Children's Day,” which is celebrated every April 30th in that country.

The box is an unassuming one when seen from the outside, featuring a kraft paper wrap printed with the Amazon Alexa logo. Right away the Yellow buttons – part of the button-and-tie closure holding it shut – are sure to appeal to curious young minds. Undoing these adds an additional sense of drama and surprise. Yet it’s only when these closures are undone and the box lid opened (refrigerator style with the box standing upright) that the real fun begins.

No sooner is it opened than I’m hit with a blast of super-vibrant primary colors on the inside of the lid, as well as 8 different colorful doors opposite. All were digitally printed CMYK by printing consultancy Red Pepper on 150 gsm Sappi Magno paper.

Appearing to be a type of advent calendar counting down the days until “Children’s Day,” I find that each colorful door boasts a command for Alexa in Spanish, such as “Alexa, tell me the tale of the Three Little Pigs,” and “Alexa, put on a 3-minute puzzle timer.”

Once the child reads aloud an Alexa command they can lift open the door with a handy blue ribbon pull and retrieve a little gift hidden inside that relates to that phrase. (Bonus points here for the colorful pattern printed within each cubby hole.) Like the package itself, each gift is interactive, including everything from a tiny coloring book to stickers and puzzles. Happy Children’s Day!