What the Latest Amazon Ads Capabilities Mean for CPG Brands

At October’s Unboxed 2022 event, Amazon Ads announced a slew of new features and capabilities that company says will enable brands of all sizes to use a broader range of Amazon Ads products.

But which enhancements pack the most punch for advertisers? Let’s take a look at 6 new offerings:

Rewarded Sponsored Display

Launching soon in the US as a closed beta, this will let brands add a shopping credit directly into the ad. That means customers can click the Sponsored Display ad to receive the reward and purchase the product.

What this means for brands: Rewarded Sponsored Display can help brands both to increase trial and to drive loyalty among existing shoppers depending on targeting approach. Brands will need to experiment with discount levels but based on our experience, 10-15% tends to be the “sweet spot” for influencing shopper behavior in consumables.

Sponsored Display for Brands not selling on Amazon

Historically, sponsored ads are for brands selling on Amazon. But this is closed beta offering on Twitch means brands like restaurants and hotels can reach customers on the Amazon-owned live-streaming service.

 What this means for brands: Amazon is getting more liberal in how they let brands drive to their own properties. Brands should consider using Amazon for DTC acquisition marketing.

Sponsored Display Video Creative

The new service allows advertisers to research and book with Amazon partner service providers to create video ads and other creative assets they’ll need to utilize Amazon Ads spaces like Sponsored Brands, Streaming TV, and Sponsored Display videos and more.

What this means for brands: While this is a play geared toward smaller seller, as built-in tools get more robust and video becomes a bigger part of the mix, even larger brands will benefit from an easier way to product bulk video creative.

Digital Signage Ads in Amazon DSP

Starting in November, Amazon DSP advertisers will be able to purchase programmatic ads that will appear on digital signage inside Amazon Fresh stores. This managed service is for US advertisers and campaigns can be scheduled based on geography, daypart and the location of the digital signage inside the store.

What this means for brands: For now, the service is only available at Fresh which makes it a bit of a novelty for most brands. The big story, though, is that Amazon and Walmart are now both leading the way in integrating the store into retail media networks. As these options come online, this will be a big deal.

Sponsored Products Campaigns with Presets

US Advertisers will now see presets, automatically featured in the ads console for new products. Amazon says the presets will streamline launching new campaigns or new products by recommending strategies, including daily budgets and bidding strategies.

What this means for brands: As with the new video news, Amazon is looking to reduce friction across their ad platform to win a bigger share of retail media spend.

Performance Recommendations

These are in-console, actionable best practices for Sponsored Campaigns. Available in 10 countries, Amazon Ads will automatically provide tips for campaigns, like new keywords or bid suggestions, that advertisers can then opt to activate with one click.

What this means for brands: This will be a great tool for small, independent sellers who don’t have the budget or need for more advanced analysis.

Final thoughts on Amazon Ads New Options and Enhancements:

• Amazon Ads has focused on video, influencer, and omnichannel impact with these and other recent changes, signaling that these continue to be big priorities for the platform.
  
  
• Amazon’s Jeff Bezos recently commented on the economy, cautioning that rougher times are ahead. The announcement of the Rewarded Sponsored Display signals some opportunity for brands to offer up value to entice the value shopping customer.
  
  
• For CPG brands on Amazon, the promise of open, self-service in-store marketing capability is finally close to reality and could change the face of shopper marketing forever.

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