Introduction to Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads

Amazon has recently introduced a new type of sponsored brands advertising available for any brand registered seller called Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads. Studies have found that viewers retain 95% of a message when watching a video compared to retaining only 10% of that message when reading it in text. This means Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads are an effective way for sellers to deliver their message/selling points to consumers and increase traffic to their listings. Additionally, Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads provide an opportunity for sellers to diversify their advertising.

Amazon has shared information on this topic on the Amazon Sponsored Brand Video page:

Components of Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads

Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads are keyword targeted meaning that sellers’ control what search pages their advertisement will display based on the keywords they choose. Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads automatically populate in the middle of the search page and appear on the search page as a video with a small compacted product detail page directly under it. The video will automatically begin playing once 50% of it is on the customer’s screen. Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads have no audio by default but contain a toggle mute button that customers can use to turn audio on if they choose. Although audio is muted by default, videos are required to have some form of audio. There are additional on-screen text options that allow subtitles to be added at the bottom of the video in case there is any important information that sellers want to deliver to buyers viewing the ad with no audio.


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Advantages of Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads

Another advantage of Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads is that they are charged on a cost-per-click basis allowing for greater control of advertising costs and budgeting. This type of advertising nicely complements other advertising campaigns such as sponsored products and sponsored brands. As the Amazon marketplace evolves and the organic ranking of products is continuously altered by advertising, pairing Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads with other Amazon advertising campaigns allows sellers to spread their listings across the entire search page increasing exposure to buyers. For example, if a seller is losing the bid for a sponsored products campaign for the keyword “Dog Food”, there is a chance that they may be winning the bid for the same keyword “Dog Food” for their Sponsored Brands Video Ad. Another way Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads help brand registered sellers diversify their advertisements is that they display on both desktop and mobile search pages. Having a multi-channel form of advertisement is becoming crucial as more and more shoppers are purchasing off Amazon’s mobile app.

Technical Requirements for Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads

Sellers looking to add Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads to their advertising campaigns must be aware of all technical video attributes Amazon requires:

Common Reasons Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads Get Rejected by Amazon

The most common reasons that Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads are rejected by Amazon are that the video has black frames at the beginning or end, the video is abruptly cropped at the maximum video duration, the video includes amazon branding elements, or the video includes customer ratings. It is not explicitly stated by Amazon, but it is best practice to make video ads loop seamlessly because once the ad ends it automatically starts again from the beginning. 

The Popularity of Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads Will Continue to Grow

Although Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads are relatively new on Amazon and have many requirements, expect to see their popularity grow fast. Video advertisements naturally grab the attention of viewers and stand out among their surrounding content. Their messages are retained better than traditional text, making them more likely to convert into a sale. If you are interested in learning more about Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads or about Amazon Advertising in general, download our Amazon Advertising White Paper HERE. If you would like to reach out directly, click the contact button below.