Since unBoxed in October 2022, Amazon has introduced a number of exciting product features to support more sophisticated measurement, engaging creative, insight-driven audiences, and more. Kepler’s Global Amazon Lead Hannah Grobmyer breaks down these new product features which can help you innovate and stand out from your competitors.
The below is a non-exhaustive list, but you can learn more here.
AMC and AWS Clean Rooms
While Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) has been available since late 2019, brands have more recently started to see the immense value of the insights for their marketing programs. With the release of AWS Clean Rooms in January of this year, Amazon has expanded their offering to “Allow companies to mix their anonymized, first-party data with any other willing user of Amazon Web Services.” - Insider Intelligence
This reduces the barrier to entry for clean room analytics, especially for advertisers who previously had privacy concerns, but are already housing their data in AWS. It also places Amazon firmly beyond retail and into the clean room space as a top competitor.
Streaming TV Innovations
Virtual Product Placement
VPP is an innovative and new way to expose users to your brand. Gone are the days of year-long planning and production cycles. This simple tool places your product and/or branding into shows that users are watching by digitally inserting your product, billboard, or logo into a movie or TV series after it has already been filmed.
QR Codes
Increase engagement with Streaming TV ads by including an interactive QR Code. In one Kepler case study,a financial services client saw a 6% higher site visit rate when using a QR code compared to a URL link. Users scan their screen during viewing to visit the product or brand landing page. With multi-screen engagement, users can learn more about the product or brand, or even transact, while continuing to view their shows or movies.
Live Sports
Live sports is often considered the last remaining vestige of the cable TV era…no longer! Like other streaming providers, Amazon has fully entered into the live sports space with its first season (of 11!) of Thursday Night Football in addition to global footholds like UEFA. With more in-depth measurement and the ability to retarget viewers, these exclusive broadcasts are a unique way to broaden reach and/or supplement traditional linear buys. While TNF overall viewership may not have reached previous linear levels - the scale among younger and more affluent audiences was seen as a win and an opportunity for advertisers.
Twitch Display Inventory
Our favorite “under the radar” release this quarter is actually self-service Twitch Display ads. While previously only available via Online Video assets with a more premium price tag, Twitch inventory is now available with traditional Display assets in the DSP. Scale and performance is still a bit untested, but it presents an interesting opportunity for brands with aligned audiences. And don’t jump to conclusions about the buying power of the Twitch audience…the average age is 29 yrs, with a high HHI of $112K!
Continued Inventory Expansion
As Amazon continues to fight for DSP parity with the big fish, ad formats and inventory sources continue to expand. Audio ads on Amazon outperformed other audio partners with ~2x the norm for lift in brand favorability. Native ads are now available via the DSP and when tested have proven to drive 25-65% lower CPA for brands compared to previous DSP benchmarks. In 2023 efficiency is the game, and ad format diversity is the name.
Contextual Targeting
While it may seem innocuous at first glance, the availability and advancement of contextual targeting across partners is critical in the upcoming storm of cookieless targeting options. Amazon’s beta allows brands to leverage contextual targeting signals from Amazon’s retail, entertainment, and digital experiences - without reliance on cookies or mobile ad IDs.
Amazon’s contextual targeting also takes advantage of signals happening right now, rather than a user’s previous browsing behavior. This helps ads stay relevant and not annoying…do you really need two toasters?
Buy With Prime
Amazon has brought the seamless checkout experience and simplified shipping process to more buyers and sellers with Buy with Prime. The new tool allows retailers to offer Prime checkout for shoppers on their DTC site, from there delivery is fulfilled with Amazon. The key is, customer data is shared back to the retailer and they’re able to leverage previously endemic-only ASIN targeting within the DSP. Win-win-win for Amazon, the retailer and the customer.
Kepler is an Advanced Amazon Sales Partner and a certified Amazon Marketing Cloud partner servicing retail and non-retail clients and agencies globally. Learn more about how we help brands succeed on Amazon here.
