Amazon unBoxed 2024 New Ad Functionality Recap
Amazon Ads unBoxed took place in Austin, Texas in October and the BirdDog Agency team was there firsthand to break down what new Amazon Ads functionality was released and how it can be used to help brands reach their audiences more efficiently. While the updates ranged from tech-heavy clean room data connections to AI video content creation engines, they broadly fell within 4 categories: 1) Amazon DSP, 2) measurement, 3) creative, and 4) campaign creation / management. We unpack all the updates below.
Amazon DSP
Amazon DSP Refresh: Amazon released a new Amazon DSP experience to simplify the user interface, allow for more efficient campaign creation, and make the platform more intuitive for users of all experience levels. The refresh provides updates such as simplified workflows, standardized line items, real-time campaign optimization options, and insights cards which provide recommendations for advertisers. The benefits of these enhancements to advertisers are faster campaign creation, better and more data driven campaign optimization, and smarter insights to drive better campaign performance
Performance+: Performance+ tactics marks the first time that Amazon has introduced AI insights into DSP campaign creation, using first-party signals and machine learning to automate campaign setup and optimization. Specifically, Performance+ empowers advertisers to create DSP line items based on prospecting, remarketing, and retention tactics and are available for campaigns running on display, OLV, or STV. At BirdDog Agency, we’re excited to begin testing these campaigns to learn more about how they can drive more efficient results for our DSP advertisers.
Ad Relevance: Ad Relevance for DSP uses AWS powered AI to analyze billions of shopper signals in combination with the publisher content being viewed in real time to serve the most relevant ads to browsers. Put simply, Ad Relevance allows DSP advertisers to serve the most relevant and compelling ads across devices without the need of third-party cookies. This innovation is what powers tactics such as DSP Performance+ outlined above.
AMC Audience Deals on Amazon Publisher Cloud: DSP advertisers can now use their AMC audiences in conjunction with premium publisher’s first party data in Amazon Publisher Cloud to create customized campaigns. What this means is that programmatic deals can be curated based on how an advertiser's signal-enriched AMC audiences match with the publisher’s own first-party data signals. The results are more data-driven campaigns which provide better advertising outcomes and a more relevant customer experience for shoppers.
Measurement
Multi-touch Attribution: Multi-touch attribution (MTA) is a new type of campaign measurement which allows advertisers more flexibility in how they measure Sponsored Ads and DSP campaigns. More specifically, MTA gives advertisers the opportunity to move beyond last-click attribution getting the full credit for a conversion and instead divide credit for the conversion across all Amazon Ads touchpoints in the shopper journey. This will help advertisers measure the value of ads and impressions which happened at the top of the funnel, such as with awareness campaigns.
Orders (multi-touch), Sales (multi-touch), and ROAS (multi-touch) in the ‘All Campaigns’ view of Ad console
Long Term Sales:Long term sales (LTS) and long term sales ROAS are new reporting metrics which estimate the sales value of new-to-brand shoppers based on how efficient historic campaigns have been at converting NTB shoppers into customers. Up until this point, it has been a challenge for advertisers to quantify the projected customer lifetime value (CLTV) of driving an initial brand engagement, such as a product detail page view. With LTS and LTS ROAS, advertisers can measure the projected value of those early shopper journey events and invest accordingly.
Conversion Path Reporting: Conversion path reporting shows all of a customer’s ad touchpoints on their 30-day path to conversion, beginning with the purchase. It will also provide the most common and highest performing customer journeys which involve multiple advertising touchpoints. This allows advertisers to better understand not only which advertising unit led to the conversion itself, but all of the ad touchpoints which occurred in the leadup to that conversion.
AMC Eligibility Expansion: Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) access has always been limited to only those direct advertisers and partner agencies using DSP. This eligibility update now allows for AMC access to all direct advertisers leveraging DSP and all partner agencies registered with the Amazon Ads Partner Network regardless of if they are using DSP or not.
Creative
AI Creative Studio: The AI creative studio is a comprehensive platform which combines AI functionality with expert level tools to give users of all experience levels to create best in class content. The AI studio gives advertisers the ability to create, edit, and publish images/videos to their asset library in Ad Console all from one centralized experience. At BirdDog Agency, we think this is one of the most important announcements at unBoxed and could be a gamechanger for those brands which were rate limited by their bandwidth or ability to create quality content.
AI Video Generator: Amazon’s AI video generator allows brands to create AI-generated videos to use in their Sponsored Brands campaigns. This democratizes access to video creation for brands which previously could not create them due to budget or capability constraints.
AI Audio Generator: Amazon’s AI audio generator allows brands to turn their products into interactive audio ads with an add-to-cart call to action. The AI audio generator is available to any advertiser who sells on Amazon and spends on Amazon DSP. Within just a few minutes, the generator will use a customized voiceover script, talent, tone, and background music for their Amazon-listed products.
Campaign Creation / Management
New Product Campaigns: New Product campaigns is DSP managed-service which helps accelerate the release of new products within the first 90 days of launching. These campaigns are full-funnel solutions which include data-driven media plans, custom creative, and leverage Amazon Marketing Cloud to measure specific product launch goals. With the first 90 days of a product’s life being crucial for success on Amazon, these campaigns are intended to give brands the ability to more easily optimize the sales funnel at every stage.
Audience Bid Boosting: Audience bid boosting gives advertisers the ability to create custom audiences (ex: new to brand shoppers who have seen a display ad) for their Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands ad, and then adjust bids specifically for these audiences. This is a gamechanger for SP and SB advertisers, as it uses Amazon Marketing Cloud generated audiences for use beyond DSP. In turn, advertisers can more granularly target their most important shopper segments to drive more efficient advertising performance.
Ads Data Manager (ADM):Ads data manager is a new single access point for simplifying the uploading and use of first-party data management across both Amazon DSP and AMC. Specifically, ADM allows advertisers to upload their 1P data once, store it in a privacy safe location, and then use it securely in the subsequent creation of DSP audiences or AMC insights analysis. ADM also includes frictionless onboarding connections with major data sources such as Adobe Experience Platform and LiveRamp.
ADM has a native connections library for integrations with CDP and MMP partner platforms.
Prime Video Interactive Ads: Prime Video Interactive Ads gives audiences the ability to engage with your Prime Video and Streaming TV ads, including the option to add items to cart right from their remote control. This interactivity allows brands to more directly connect with their shoppers and reduce friction in the customer journey from consideration to conversion.
