I’m being deceptive. The below is not everything you need to know about video advertising on Amazon. It may be less, if you are already an extremely advanced user of this amazon advertising strategy; and it may be more if you are looking for answers to questions like: What are the types of video ads on Amazon Advertising?! Can I run video ads on Amazon if I don’t sell on Amazon?! Can I launch video ads on Amazon, but manage them myself?!, or How can I run a video ad on IMDb?!
Nevertheless, it seems too late to change the title now (or, is it?! 🙂 ), so let’s proceed. If you want to jump through the details, go straight to “How to run a successful video ad”.
Just like an image is worth 1,000 words, the same goes for videos when compared to other strategies like static banners. Even as you read this text you must be thinking that a short video would have been more effective, right?! You’re most likely correct…
What are the types of video ads on Amazon Advertising?!
There are 2 types of video ads strategies that you can run with Amazon advertising:
- Over-the-top (OTP) video ads
- Out-stream video ads
What are OTT video ads?! Why should I use OTT video ads?!
OTT (over-the-top) is video content delivered over an internet connection (vs. video transmitted through cable, etc). OTT video ads appear either before, during or after existing video content. In some cases, these cannot be skipped, so consumers have to watch the whole ad.
These types of ads can run on multiple platforms (Amazon, Fire TV, Amazon subsidiaries like IMDb and across the web) to showcase your brand alongside other content, latest movies, TV, news, live sports etc. They can be served on desktop, mobile and tablet.
What are out-stream video ads?! Why should I use out-stream video ads?!
Out-stream video ads can also appear on multiple platforms on and off Amazon just like OTT, but they are stand-alone videos that start playing only when they are in view.
These types of ads appear on specially allocated places on web pages. Depending on the site, there are various formats for them: video in-banner; interstitial video, in-feed video, in-article video. These ads can also be served on desktop, mobile and tablet. See an example below of a video in-banner (a combination between a video and a banner) running on Amazon.
What is the benefit of running video ads with Amazon Advertising?
Amazon offers one of the most diversified collection of audiences to target consumers. In-market, contextual, lifestyle and even retargeting are all audiences that can be used.
On top of this, you can reach over 40MM+ monthly active viewers by running video ads with Amazon advertising. These ads can appear on Amazon or off Amazon across the web, across third-party apps, and on IMDb. You’ll also have access to tools to measure the impact of these ads.
You can create awareness for your brand by reaching consumers with the intent of purchase (when running the video ads on Amazon), and reaching them on high-quality web pages.
Having tested these ads in the past and having analysed their results, I can confirm that you can get a considerable uplift in brand awareness by running with them. They are also a lot more catchier than the standard display ads and can tell a story like no other type of ad can. Among some of the results that you can see are: increase in visits to your products, product landing pages and landing pages; increase in people searching for your brand organically; an increase in sales and even an improvement in conversion rates.
How can I start running video ads with Amazon Advertising?
You can choose between two options:
- Either get an Amazon team to start and manage the campaigns for you, or
- You can run video ads via Amazon DSP (either internally or via an agency – “our agency, for example” said the inner me; It’s not like you are obliged to send us an email at support@adeads.com :). Jokes aside, choose whatever works best for you).
Can I run video ads with Amazon Advertising if I don’t sell products on Amazon?
Yes, you can. Get in touch for more details. We are happy to help.
In what countries are video ads available?
You can run video ads with Amazon advertising in the following countries:
- Europe: UK, Italy, Spain, France, Germany.
- North America: Canada, United States.
- Asia Pacific: Australia, Japan.
- Middle East: UAE.
How to run a successful video ad?
Well… that’s a tricky question, but here’s the formula:
- Create a video ad that speaks the language of the audience targeted. Be targeted! Don’t create the ad for everyone!
- Create a good landing page linking to the ads. Test and Optimise!
- Use audience targeting (In-market and Lifestyle, not only demographics). Learn from the results and optimise your targeting constantly.
- Test different ad formats and optimise where your ads appear. Don’t be afraid to blacklist websites where you don’t see good results.
Video ads are a great strategy to create brand awareness, but also to increase traffic and sales for your products. As Amazon is offering such a diversified list of options to choose from, it makes it one of the best platforms to run ads on. My personal recommendation is to run video ads on Amazon even if just as a test, but do so as a complimentary strategy to your search and other display campaigns. This will ensure you capture consumers at all stages of the purchasing cycle.