Key Takeaways:

• Mark's 30-year journey from B2B email marketing in London → content marketing → IPG → founding Podean with co-founder Travis Johnson
• Why Amazon is more than a sales channel — and the gap Podean was built to fill
• "Positive Energy" as a cultural umbrella — how Podean distilled its values into something every team member, across every acquired company, can rally behind
• The real markers of cultural health — including why the first 3–4 weeks of a new hire tells you everything
• Remote culture done right — what actually works when your team is virtual and global
• Transparency = Trust — why sharing the bad news openly builds more loyalty than a polished internal comms strategy ever will
• Navigating acquisitions — how Podean is integrating Ad Advance and Commerce Canal without an "our way or the highway" mindset
• What's coming next — a new show hosted by Mark Power and Podean co-founder Ryan Craver, going beyond advertising into broader commerce and industry trends

If you're building a team, scaling an agency, or navigating a merger, this episode is packed with practical wisdom from two founders who've lived it.

Joe Shelerud is joined by Tony Miller, Director of Programmatic Strategy at Ad Advance (now powered by Podean), to break down one of their most powerful tools: Customer Avatar. Instead of relying on assumptions about who your customers are, Customer Avatar reverse-engineers your actual best buyers using Amazon's purchase data — and builds targeted, scalable audiences from there.

Key takeaways:

• Why upper funnel advertising has historically felt like guesswork — and how to fix it
• How Customer Avatar is built from real purchase behavior, not assumptions
• The Venn diagram approach to layering audiences for precision targeting
• How to measure upper funnel success beyond ROAS (the metrics that actually tell the story)
• How Amazon Marketing Cloud unlocks path-to-conversion data to tie brand spend to revenue
• Real-world results: campaigns driving 68x ROAS, 81% new-to-brand customers, and page views as low as $0.11

Plus: big news — The Ad Project is now powered by Podean, a global agency that expands the team's ability to support clients across creative, international markets, and more.

Next episode: Co-founder of Podean, Mark Power, joins the pod.

1. One-Stop Shop: Amazon DSP expands to offer video and audio ads across the Open Internet.
2. Unified Media: Solves fragmentation by offering better frequency control and measurement.
3. New Opportunities: Roku, Disney, and Netflix partnerships unlock unique reach and global scaling.
4. Audio Expansion: Platforms like Spotify and SiriusXM bring addressable, programmatic audio to DSP.
5. 2026 Outlook: A reset in media planning with unified reach and outcome-based strategies.

Tony also shares his thoughts on how brands can adapt to this new DSP landscape.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

In Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2025 Results: Shopper Trends & AI’s Impact, host Maarja Hewitt is joined by Ad Advance VP of Operations, Erik Swenson, to break down how the holiday shopping season really played out. They look at traffic, conversion, and sales trends, why the events felt softer even as total volume grew, and how an elongated deal season changed shopper behavior.

They also dig into the growing role of AI in holiday shopping, from Amazon’s Rufus price tracking and deal guidance to third party AI shopping assistants that help consumers compare products and marketplaces in seconds.

Key takeaways:

• Traffic was up, but conversions spread across more days instead of spiking on two events
• Early deal cycles and “holiday all season” messaging softened the traditional Black Friday and Cyber Monday peaks
• AI made shoppers more price aware, more informed, and more comparison driven
• Brands that ramped budgets early, refreshed creatives, and coordinated off Amazon channels saw stronger results
• 2026 will reward earlier planning, stronger first party audiences, and clear value messaging

A focused, practical breakdown for ecommerce and retail media teams planning their next Q4.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

They explore how Creative Agent and Ads Agent are lowering barriers for advertisers, how advertisers can use AI without replacing human expertise, and how AMC is becoming the central hub for measurement and optimization across the full funnel.

Key Takeaways:

• How Amazon is using AI to democratize advanced advertising tools
• Creative Agent’s role in scaling personalized, high-performing creative
• Ads Agent’s natural-language recommendations for audience and campaign optimization
• Why Deal Builder will accelerate access to premium supply
• How AMC connects signals across sponsored ads and DSP for deeper measurement
• Why human strategy + AI execution creates the strongest results
• What these updates mean for brands planning 2025–2026 retail media strategies

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

They unpack:

• How ChatGPT and Gemini could evolve into major ad platforms
• What happens when generative AI gains deep insight into user behavior
• The tension between monetization and user trust
• The future of pay-per-conversion models and hyper-personalized creative
• How these shifts could impact Amazon’s dominance in retail media

As AI transitions from tool to “agent,” Joe and Roger explore what the next era of digital advertising might look like — and how brands can prepare for it.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

They explore:

• ChatGPT’s new instant checkout and what it means for sellers
• How the OpenAI x Stripe commerce protocol could reshape online transactions
• Why Walmart might adopt AI faster than Amazon
• How data ownership, ads, and trust evolve in an AI-driven world
• What smaller sellers should do to stay ahead of the next wave of online shopping

This is a forward-looking, technical, and strategic discussion that every brand should hear as AI becomes part of the customer journey.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

Key takeaways

1. You can start from Amazon Ads templates inside Express, then customize quickly.
2. Real-time policy checks and safe-zone guidance catch issues before export.
3. Export automates spec fitting for video, including bitrate and frame rate, then saves back to your library.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How Creative Studio streamlines ad creation from concept to final video or image asset.
• Why AI + Amazon retail insights help brands produce more authentic, relevant creatives.
• Practical use cases for small businesses, mid-market brands, agencies, and enterprises.
• How advertisers can accelerate speed-to-market, scale creative production, and unlock personalization.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

• The rapid evolution of the Amazon Ads ecosystem
• How AMC unlocks new insights like path to purchase and ad type overlap
• Why audience targeting + analytics are reshaping strategy
• Practical ways brands can prioritize AMC without feeling overwhelmed

Destaney is the CEO of btr media - check her LinkedIn for updates, new features, and helpful videos!

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

Key takeaways:

• Auto campaigns now account for nearly 40% of impressions, with broad match also climbing.
• Exact match still drives the highest conversion rates (>20%), but its share is shrinking.
• CPCs are rising on broad (+20% YoY) while auto remains cheapest.
• Amazon is weighting “Loose Match” and “Substitutes” more heavily within auto targeting.
• Advertisers should balance discovery and efficiency: run auto/broad with strong negatives, harvest winners into exact/phrase, and monitor impression share shifts.

Adapt your strategy now—the balance between efficiency engines (exact) and discovery engines (auto/broad) is the new reality of Amazon Ads.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

• Budget pacing across a longer season
• Inventory planning and forecasting
• Creative testing with urgency messaging
• Strengthening full-funnel advertising
• Monitoring competitors and share of voice
• Expanding beyond Amazon to Walmart & Target
• Measuring and adapting with AMC

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• What makes DSP different from Sponsored Ads
• Key benefits like audience targeting and creative flexibility
• When a brand is ready to layer on DSP
• Real success stories and recent updates (like AI tools and Disney/Roku inventory)
• How DSP ties in with Amazon Marketing Cloud for better attribution

Whether you're DSP-curious or ready to scale, this episode lays the foundation.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Amazon’s creative tools and generative AI are speeding up campaign execution and testing.
• Conversational AI is changing how consumers shop, moving discovery beyond traditional search.
• AI is pushing retailers toward campaign automation, shifting human focus to strategy.
• Traffic is dropping from search engines, but AI is boosting high-intent site visits.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• ROAS isn’t always the north star—context is key.
• TACoS is your go-to for measuring incrementality.
• New-to-brand ROAS and CAC matter more for consumables and repeat-purchase brands.
• Use LTV analysis to identify your highest-impact gateway products.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• AMC offers a full-funnel view beyond last-click attribution.
• New tools and AI make AMC more accessible than ever.
• Brands can justify upper-funnel spend with detailed customer journey data.
• Audience creation within AMC allows for more refined targeting and strategy.

Whether you're brand new to AMC or looking to refine your data strategy, this episode is your go-to primer.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

🔑 Key Takeaways include:

• Budget pacing strategies across four days
• How deal participation impacts conversion and ROAS
• Why Day 1 will likely still dominate in traffic
• Post-Prime Day opportunities for retargeting and LTV gains

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

🔑 Key Takeaways:

• Learn from past Prime Day data: 3x impressions, 2.6x sales
• Why AMC outperforms traditional reporting
• The 3-stage approach: Lead-In, Deal Days, and Lead-Out
• How to build and layer audiences for precision targeting
• Use AMC to guide spend pacing, retargeting, and repeat purchase strategies

If you’re not using AMC this Prime Day, you’re leaving valuable performance on the table.

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

We’re back! After a one-year break, The Ad Project returns with CEO Joe Shelerud and Director of Strategy & Insights Maarja Hewitt kicking off a new chapter — with a new studio, a growing team, and plenty to talk about.

In this episode:

• The rise of Amazon Marketing Cloud: 5-year lookback, audience creation, and SQL Generator
• Amazon’s full-funnel push: from saturated Sponsored Ads to streaming and interactive video ads
• Walmart Connect’s big moves: brand conquesting, dynamic bidding, Vizio acquisition, and omnichannel strategy
• The retail media network explosion — 250+ platforms and counting
• The growing role of AI in ad targeting and creative optimization
• Why standardization is key for advertisers navigating a fragmented retail media space

👉 Follow, subscribe, and connect with us on LinkedIn and at adadvance.com to catch future episodes.

In this episode, Joe Shelerud interviews Corey Brown from buffaBRAND Marketing about AI image generation and its potential impact on advertising. They discuss the various tools available, the importance of having a strong creative foundation, and the challenges of using AI to generate realistic and effective images. They also explore the future of AI image generation and how it could change the industry.

Overall, the conversation emphasizes the need for a balanced approach to AI, leveraging its capabilities while maintaining human creativity and authenticity.

Takeaways

• AI image generation is a rapidly evolving space that intersects with e-commerce and advertising.
• There are various tools available for AI image generation, but it's important to be skeptical and use them in conjunction with a strong creative foundation.
• AI-generated images can be useful for certain types of creatives, such as lifestyle composite shots, but they may not always meet the desired level of authenticity.
• In the future, AI image generation could enable hyper-customization of creatives for different audience segments, but there may also be concerns about privacy and over-customization.
• To start using AI image generation, it's important to have a baseline knowledge, work with people who understand AI, and provide detailed prompts and information.

In this episode, Joe Shelerud interviews Dan Brownsher from Channel Key. They discuss the current state of the e-commerce space, the challenges and opportunities for brands on platforms like Amazon, and the key factors that contribute to a brand's success. They emphasize the importance of high-quality products, brand building, and maximizing total lifetime value. They also highlight the need for brands to utilize upper funnel activities and measure them correctly.

Takeaways

• The e-commerce space is still relatively early in its growth, and there are opportunities for brands to succeed.
• High-quality products, brand building, and targeting the right audience are key factors for a brand's success on platforms like Amazon.
• Maximizing total lifetime value by driving repeat purchases or cross-selling is crucial for sustaining growth.
• Brands should consider utilizing upper funnel activities, such as streaming TV and video, to create brand awareness.
• Measuring the full funnel and understanding the contribution of each stage is important for effective advertising strategies.

Connect with Dan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-brownsher/

In this episode, Keith from Made In discusses his journey in the e-commerce space and the strategies he implemented to scale the new-to-brand customer on Amazon. He shares insights on testing incrementality, maximizing lower funnel opportunities, expanding search terms, and utilizing Amazon Marketing Cloud. Keith also compares the Walmart Marketplace to Amazon and talks about the potential for international expansion. The episode concludes with a discussion on upper funnel opportunities and where listeners can find more information about Made In.

Takeaways

• Testing incrementality on Amazon can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of advertising strategies.
• Maximizing lower funnel opportunities, such as search terms, can lead to incremental sales and higher ROAS.
• Carefully expanding search terms and targeting specific customer segments can help optimize advertising campaigns.
• Utilizing Amazon Marketing Cloud can provide valuable data on customer behavior and attribution.
• The Walmart Marketplace is making strides in its ad platform and has the potential to catch up to Amazon's capabilities.
• Expanding internationally can tap into new markets and increase brand reach.
• Exploring upper funnel opportunities, such as video ads and prime streaming, can further enhance advertising strategies.

In this episode, Abe from XP Strategy joins the Ad Project Podcast to discuss his experience participating in an AI hackathon at the Prosper Show. The hackathon involved creating a new product and all the necessary assets within a tight timeframe using AI tools. Abe shares the challenges and successes of the hackathon, including using ChatGPT for image generation and product packaging. He emphasizes that AI is a tool that can enhance experts and provide a starting point for those who need it. The conversation also explores the future possibilities of AI in advertising and the importance of creativity in utilizing AI effectively.

Takeaways

• AI can be a powerful tool for creating new products and generating assets within a tight timeframe.
• ChatGPT and other AI tools can provide a starting point for ideation and branding.
• AI is most effective when used by experts in the field who can leverage the tool to enhance their work.
• While AI can automate certain tasks, it is not a replacement for human expertise and creativity.

Connect with Abe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abechomali/

We are live from Prosper Show! In this episode, Joe is joined by Jérôme de Guigné to discuss the process of expanding internationally, specifically to the European market. They cover topics such as general benchmarks for international expansion, competition and cost per click, localization and AI tools, product packaging and customization, and the importance of VAT and compliance. They also provide a step-by-step guide for selling in Europe and share where to find more information.

Takeaways

• Expanding internationally can be a huge opportunity for sellers, but it also comes with challenges and costs.
• When expanding to Europe, it's important to consider factors such as competition, cost per click, and market potential.
• Localization is crucial for success in different markets, and a hybrid approach using both translators and AI tools can be effective.
• Compliance with VAT regulations is essential, and working with a reliable partner can help navigate the complexities.
• Proper product packaging and customization are important for meeting regulatory requirements and customer expectations.
• A step-by-step guide for selling in Europe includes obtaining a VAT number, opening a seller account, and ensuring compliance with regulations.

In this episode, the Joe & Matt discuss the differences between Sponsored Display and DSP on Amazon. They explain when to consider using each platform and the various audience targeting options available. They also compare the pricing models and creative options in both platforms. The hosts highlight the advantages of using Amazon's DSP, such as the ability to use custom creatives and access to Amazon Marketing Cloud for advanced data insights. They conclude by emphasizing the importance of choosing the right platform based on your advertising goals and budget.

Takeaways

• Sponsored Display is a self-serve platform that is easy to use and is a good starting point for testing different advertising options.
• DSP offers more control and complexity, allowing for more advanced audience targeting and the use of custom creatives.
• Amazon Marketing Cloud provides valuable data insights for measuring ad performance and optimizing campaigns.
• Consider your advertising goals and budget when choosing between Sponsored Display and DSP.
• Utilize the different targeting options and creative features to reach your desired audience and maximize ad performance.

Anders Hjorth, an expert in retail media, discusses his journey into the Amazon and retail media space and the rise of Amazon ads. He defines retail media as advertising in commerce and highlights the differences between retail media in Europe and North America. Anders also explores the challenges of allocating budget and achieving consistency in data and reporting. He shares his excitement about the future of retail media, including the integration of video and CCTV and the ability to tell transmedia stories.

Connect with Anders on LinkedIn for more insights into retail media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahjorth/

Takeaways

• Retail media is the integration of advertising and commerce.
• The rise of Amazon ads has transformed the digital marketing landscape.
• Retail media in Europe differs from North America due to market size and language barriers.
• Allocating budget and achieving consistency in data and reporting are major challenges in retail media.
• Exciting developments in retail media include the integration of video and CCTV and the ability to tell transmedia stories.

In this episode, host Joe Shelerud interviews Dom from Sproutbrite, an Amazon seller with a unique background in music and entrepreneurship. Dom shares his journey from a successful music career to starting his own business on Amazon. He discusses the challenges he faced, including financial setbacks and copycat competitors. Dom also emphasizes the importance of passion, authenticity, and creating value in the products and content he offers.

Takeaways

• Passion and authenticity are key in building a successful brand.
• Creating value and resonating with customers is more important than simply selling products.
• Challenges and setbacks are part of the entrepreneurial journey, but perseverance and a growth mindset are crucial.
• Building a brand requires continuous learning, adapting to market changes, and finding ways to stand out from competitors.

In this episode, Joe and Sean discuss the power of first-party data in Amazon advertising. They explore the challenges and opportunities of using Amazon's DSP to target audiences off the platform. They highlight the importance of audience segmentation and tracking, as well as the benefits of using hash lists to build lookalike audiences. They also discuss the complexities of conversion attribution and the need for careful measurement. Overall, they emphasize the value of utilizing Amazon's first-party data and the potential for driving new-to-brand customers to non-Amazon websites. In this podcast episode, Sean discusses key learnings and insights from his work at Add Advance.

Takeaways

• Amazon's first-party data is a powerful tool for targeting audiences off the platform.
• Segmenting audiences and tracking conversions can be challenging but is crucial for effective advertising.
• Using hash lists and building lookalike audiences can help reach new-to-brand customers.
• Conversion attribution across different platforms requires careful measurement and de-duplication.
• Lead time is necessary for setting up tags and building audiences. Continuous learning and exploration are essential in the field of advertising.
• Stay updated with industry trends and best practices.
• Subscribe to Add Advance's mailing list and follow their content for valuable insights.

In this episode, Joe Shelerud and Melissa Barnstorf discuss Walmart advertising and the differences between Walmart and Amazon ads. They provide tips for getting started with Walmart advertising, including leveraging top-performing keywords from Amazon. They also share a case study of a brand successfully launching on Walmart. The episode concludes with an update on brand term targeting on Walmart and the early days of Walmart advertising.

Takeaways

• Walmart advertising has similarities to Amazon advertising, but there are also key differences in terminology and platform structure.
• When getting started with Walmart advertising, it can be helpful to leverage top-performing keywords from Amazon and set up manual campaigns.
• Bids on Walmart are generally lower than on Amazon, but it's important to monitor performance and adjust bids accordingly.
• Brand term targeting is now available on Walmart, allowing advertisers to target competitor keywords.
• The early days of Walmart advertising present an opportunity for brands to establish themselves on the platform.

The conversation delves into use cases, including ASIN purchase overlap reports and insights into customer behavior after viewing ads.

Key Points:

• Understanding the concept of data clean rooms and their role in protecting privacy.
• AMC as a unique clean room where Amazon serves as both the host and data provider.
• Use cases of AMC, such as ASIN purchase overlap reports and insights into branded keywords.
• Challenges and opportunities in the evolving landscape of digital advertising, especially with the deprecation of cookies.
• Eligibility requirements for using AMC and the importance of SQL proficiency.
• Strategic and tactical actions advertisers can take based on AMC insights.
• Leveraging AMC audiences for enhanced targeting in Amazon DSP.

Guest:

Jack Lindberg - Director of Analytics at The Mars Agency

Joe Shelerud - CEO of Ad Advance and Host of the Ad Project Podcast

Key Highlights:

Retail Media Growth:

• Prediction of a surge in the importance of retail media within the advertising space.
• Examples of major players like Amazon, Walmart, and Target utilizing first-party data for precision advertising.

Streaming's Growth in 2024:

• Anticipation of significant growth in streaming and its consequential impact on the advertising landscape.
• Insights into the engagement potential of streaming compared to traditional linear TV.

AI Integration in Ad Exchanges:

• Speculation on the integration of advanced language models like ChatGPT in third-party data providers to ad exchanges.
• Discussion on the potential transformative impact on audience targeting and campaign personalization.

Listen to the full episode to stay ahead of the curve in this ever-changing landscape.

Key Discussions:

Extended Holiday Deals: Joe and Maarja emphasize the shift towards a more prolonged holiday shopping season, highlighting major retailers extending Black Friday deals throughout November. The elongation of promotional periods introduces uncertainty for consumers, impacting their decision-making on the optimal time for purchases and challenging traditional peak shopping days.

Advertising Strategies and Consumer Behavior: The episode underscores the significance of adapting advertising strategies to align with evolving consumer behaviors. Joe and Maarja discuss the impact of early deals on the effectiveness of traditional peak shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Additionally, they stress the need for advertisers to stay informed about seasonal trends, enabling them to proactively adjust bidding strategies and campaigns.

This episode emphasizes the importance of staying attuned to these evolving trends to optimize advertising strategies for future holiday seasons.

Join Joe and Matt as they dissect these alternative metrics, breaking down their impact from the crispiness of Nachos to the heat of Fajita. This episode serves as a concise crash course in the everyday challenges of advertising analytics, offering practical insights to navigate the complex world of metrics.

In this episode, Joe Shelerud interviews Dave Katz from Amazon Ads. Dave is a marketing technology strategist at Amazon Ads. He guides developers, product teams, and data practitioners to build scalable and effective technology. He has over 15 years of experience in the advertising technology industry working on both the buy and sell sides. As a former marketing analyst, Dave led the adoption of full-funnel attribution analytics for multiple large consumer and business brands.

Key discussions in this episode include the evolution of the digital advertising space, the impact of privacy changes on advertising, and the shift towards first-party data and retail media. They also explore unique ad placements on Amazon-owned properties and the power of Amazon Marketing Cloud. The conversation highlights the focus on customization and democratization of technology, as well as the continuous improvement and customer focus at Amazon Ads.

Takeaways

• The digital advertising space has evolved from ad networks to real-time bidding and demand-side platforms, with a focus on performance metrics and optimization.
• Privacy changes, such as the removal of cookies, require advertisers to find alternative ways to measure and optimize their campaigns.
• First-party data and retail media are becoming increasingly important in the digital advertising landscape, allowing advertisers to target relevant audiences and measure the impact of their advertising.
• Amazon offers unique ad placements on its owned properties, such as streaming services and Twitch, providing advertisers with access to a diverse and engaged audience.
• Amazon Marketing Cloud is a powerful tool that allows advertisers to analyze and measure the impact of their advertising across Amazon's platforms.
• The focus at Amazon Ads is on customization and democratization of technology, allowing advertisers to build unique capabilities and optimize their campaigns.
• Continuous improvement and a customer-centric approach are key principles at Amazon Ads, with a focus on gathering feedback and iterating on products and features.

Key Takeaways:

• Elevator Pitch with Second Images: Michael introduces a game-changing strategy—using the second image as a powerful "elevator pitch" to boost conversions and captivate consumers quickly.
• Visual Prominence in Main Images: Explore the critical impact of main images on click-through rates and advertising performance, emphasizing the need for world-class visual representation.
• Sentiment Analysis for Enhanced Content: Discover the untapped potential of sentiment analysis in customer reviews and how it can reshape content strategy, reducing negative reviews and enhancing brand reputation.

This episode is a blend of data and creativity that can elevate your products in the competitive world of retail media.

The conversation then transitions to the introduction of sponsored TV and upper-funnel video ads on Amazon. They explore the audience targeting and measurement advantages offered by streaming platforms compared to traditional TV. Joe and Matt emphasize the importance of establishing a strong foundation with lower-funnel advertising before venturing into upper-funnel strategies.

We also touch on the accessibility perks and incentives provided by Amazon for brands to engage in sponsored TV advertising. The discussion concludes with insights into the interactivity and measurement capabilities of video ads on streaming platforms, emphasizing the shift towards more targeted and data-driven advertising.

Overall, the episode provides an overview of the changing landscape of holiday shopping and the opportunities presented by sponsored TV and upper-funnel video ads on Amazon.

The episode begins with an introduction to Jeremy Bugbee, Director of Business Development at Ad Advance. The core focus of the episode is on guiding listeners through the key questions and considerations when evaluating agencies for advertising and retail media services, especially in the context of Amazon.

Joe and Jeremy unpack topics like agency approaches, communication methods, technology utilization, staying updated with industry trends, and the importance of finding an agency that challenges and pushes for improvement.

The episode also discusses the choice between full-service agencies and individual experts for e-commerce management and the significance of selecting the right rate structure.

Overall, it provides valuable insights for brands seeking the right agency partner for their retail media advertising.

Join us as we sit down with representatives from five different teams within Amazon Advertising to talk through newly announced features and gain insights into what they're excited about in the future of Amazon Advertising.

Special guests include:

• Kelly McClean - VP Amazon DSP
• Ruslana Zbagerska - VP of Technology and Product Development Amazon Ads
• Miranda Chen - Director of AMC Growth and Monetization
• Teresa Uthurralt - Director of Partner Development
• Jeff Cohen - Tech Evangelist, Amazon Ads

This episode was an exciting exploration of the latest developments in the industry, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Melissa kicks off the conversation by offering a glimpse into Walmart's advertising landscape, which bears a resemblance to Amazon's early days – marked by rapid growth and a wealth of untapped opportunities. Together, they dive into the array of ad types, with a particular focus on sponsored products. Throughout the episode, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of the advertising controls at your disposal, from the nuances of auto and manual campaigns to the unique placement settings that allow for precise targeting.

They also discuss the game-changing Walmart Fulfillment Services (WFS), offering speedier shipping, smoother returns, and the highly sought-after W+ badge, which rivals Amazon Prime. What makes this episode even more intriguing is the insight into the current lower level of competition on Walmart's platform, making it a golden opportunity for sellers to carve out their niche.

Whether you're eager to explore the uncharted territory of Walmart advertising or simply curious about the ever-evolving world of e-commerce advertising, this episode is an invaluable resource.

What sets this discussion apart is our focus on real-world experiences and practical advice that can help you thrive on Amazon today. We don't just scratch the surface; we delve into the nitty-gritty details of what's working right now.

Whether you're an established Amazon brand looking to fine-tune your approach or someone considering entering the marketplace, this episode is packed with invaluable insights.

In this podcast episode of the Ad Project Podcast, we are joined by the wonderful Maarja Hewitt to dive into the ever-changing world of Amazon advertising and unpack some of the updates and features that have come our way recently.

The episode kicks off with Joe and Maarja by chatting about one of the big changes - Sponsored Product ads being shown off Amazon. They give their take on this new feature - the pros (like having more ad placements) and the cons (like not being able to turn it off and the impact on ad performance).

Joe and Maarja also talk through the Rest of Search modifier update. It's a game-changer for bidding strategies, and they spend some time breaking down why it's such a big deal. They discuss how modifying bids for rest-of-search placements can seriously boost conversion rates and make your campaigns more efficient.

In a nutshell, this episode is a must-listen for Amazon advertisers looking to stay on top of the latest trends and updates.

The conversation covers Keith's background and journey within the Amazon ecosystem, from driving product reviews to founding his own agency. They reminisce about earlier strategies and set the stage for exploring the power of video advertising.

The heart of the discussion revolves around the growing role of video ads on Amazon. Joe and Keith discuss the visual shift in e-commerce and the challenges and opportunities of incorporating video into campaigns.

They emphasize the importance of capturing viewers' attention within seconds and share creative tips for impactful video content.

The conversation transitions to Amazon's Brand Store, highlighting its competition-free space for showcasing products and engaging with customers. Joe and Keith underscore the role of Brand Stores in boosting average order values and enhancing the brand experience.

Finally, they share key takeaways from the recent Amazon Accelerate conference, discussing advancements in advertising tools and Amazon's commitment to supporting sellers.

Here's what you can expect:

• TACOS, which measures ad spend as a percentage of total sales, is introduced, and Joe raises some concerns about its usefulness.
• Joe argues that TACOS can be manipulated by advertisers and lacks a comprehensive view of advertising performance.
• Matt highlights TACOS' value as a metric for maintaining budget consistency, especially during seasonal fluctuations.

They both agree that while TACOS serves a purpose, it's not the sole metric to consider. ACoS, new-to-brand customer acquisition, lifetime value, and market share provide a more complete picture of advertising success.

Joe and Matt recommend looking beyond TACOS and considering a broader range of metrics to evaluate advertising performance. For a deeper dive into this topic and a nuanced discussion on advertising metrics, listen to the full episode!

Tim shares his journey from being a firefighter to becoming a successful Amazon seller and e-commerce expert. He discusses his experience in the industry, including building and selling multiple brands, consulting for service providers, and gaining a unique perspective on the e-commerce landscape.

The episode's main focus is on driving external traffic to Amazon and the importance of leveraging it to boost organic rankings. Tim and Joe dive into Amazon's brand referral bonus and Amazon Attribution, and how they have revolutionized external traffic strategies. They highlight the effectiveness of external traffic through Google Ads and influencer marketing, emphasizing the significance of targeting a relevant audience for better conversion rates.

Tim also introduces Carbon 6's reimbursement services for buyer returns and the powerful external traffic tool, PixelMe, which has shown remarkable results in achieving high return on ad spend (ROAS).

The episode concludes with insights into the ever-evolving e-commerce industry, emphasizing the importance of Amazon as a reliable platform for generating sales and growing e-commerce brands.

This week’s episode of The Ad Project is a good gut check to help brands preparing for the busiest shopping season of the year. We explain the importance of planning ahead for Q4, especially during major shopping events like Prime Day and Black Friday, and leveraging Amazon's DSP to target upper-funnel audiences to build brand awareness and engagement.

We emphasize the value of utilizing the overlap report to identify relevant audiences and stress that success is not solely measured by immediate Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) but also by considering factors such as new-to-brand percentages and lifetime value.

A couple Q4 tips from our experts:

Kick Off Upper Funnel Campaigns Early: Focus on targeting audiences that show interest in your product category and lifestyle, using the overlap report to identify relevant segments.

Implement the Tentpole Strategy: Utilize the tentpole strategy, which involves starting with upper-funnel efforts to create awareness and engagement ahead of these events. During the events themselves, allocate budget for both upper-funnel and retargeting campaigns to maximize impact. Remember that the lead-out period post-event may not be as distinct during Q4,but you can still continue to engage potential customers, especially for products like gift cards that remain relevant even after traditional holiday shipping cutoffs.

The episode highlights the significance of strategic timing, audience targeting, and the tentpole strategy for successful Q4 advertising campaigns.

Some key takeaways from this episode include:

• Q1 Strategies Deep Dive: Jon delves into Q1 strategies, focusing on the unique positioning during this time. Highlighting the transformative potential of the "New Year, New Me" sentiment for supplement companies, he emphasizes strategic insights for ensuring advertising budgets hit the bullseye.
• Amazon Homepage Takeover: Jon provides insights into Tru Niagen's unique experience of taking over Amazon's homepage. While the process had its challenges, such as copy restrictions and differing policies, it offered an invaluable opportunity to understand their customer base without the biases.
• Metrics, Strategies & More Metrics: Joe and Jon explore key metrics and strategies like the art of balancing ROAS with other pivotal indicators, offering a fresh perspective on making more data-driven decisions.  
• Choosing the Right Agency: Jon talks about switching agencies right before Q4. He stresses the need for alignment, the importance of good tech tools, and the big wins from understanding data correctly.

Overall, this episode is a treasure of great insights, diving deep into customer-focused strategies and ways brands can stay ahead in competitive markets, like the supplements industry. It's a must-listen for all brands looking to elevate their Q4 strategies and beyond.

The latest update for sponsored ads on Amazon – the introduction of placement controls for rest of search. Learn how to leverage placement controls to optimize your ads, with a focus on adjusting bid multipliers based on conversion rates and ACoS. By understanding the performance variations among different placements, listeners can strategically allocate their advertising budget for maximum impact.

Tips include:

• Utilize the newly introduced rest of search placement controls on Amazon to strategically adjust bid multipliers based on conversion rates and ACoS for better ad performance.
• Group keywords or targets with consistent performance themes to optimize placement settings effectively, ensuring that bids align with the specific characteristics of each placement.
• Consider using a dynamic down-only bid strategy for campaign bidding to maintain control over CPCs and avoid the potential pitfalls of dynamic up and down bidding, while also factoring in the distinct advantages of top of search placements for higher click-through and conversion rates.

Listen to this episode to learn how the new rest of search placement controls on Amazon can help you strategically optimize your Sponsored Ads and achieve better performance.

Discussions include:

• The importance of networking at conferences and building genuine connections with other Amazon sellers.
• The value of using AI-based tools like ZonGuru for listing optimization to improve conversion rates and organic rankings.
• The opportunity to recover fees through refund reimbursement services like Seller Investigators, resulting in increased profitability for Amazon sellers. (For Vendors, use this link)

Listen to the full episode if you’re looking for ideas to leverage these opportunities and maximize your Amazon seller journey.

USE THIS LINK to get a 20% Lifetime Discount for ZonGuru: https://zonguru.link/ADV20

Discussions include:

• Upper funnel strategies for increasing traffic and brand awareness before major shopping events.
• Switching to bottom-of-funnel strategies on the day of the event to reengage interested customers and drive conversions.
• Utilizing Amazon Marketing Cloud to target cart abandonment shoppers and offering targeted discounts through brand tailored promotions.
• Post-event strategies such as retargeting and repurchasing campaigns based on consumption patterns to maintain customer engagement.

Key takeaways:

• Don't rely on ACOS or ROAS as the sole metrics for evaluating advertising performance. Consider other metrics such as TACoS, Cost per Acquisition, and market share percentage to get a more comprehensive view of effectiveness.
• Understand the limitations of last touch attribution and how it can skew the results for upper funnel campaigns. Take into account the full customer journey and the impact of different touchpoints when analyzing performance.
• Consider the lifetime value of customers, especially for products with repeat purchases. Factor in the potential future conversions and the overall profitability of acquiring new customers when setting advertising goals and budgets.

Overall, the episode aims to shed light on the various metrics to consider when assessing advertising effectiveness beyond just ACOS and ROAS.

Credits include Airbnb, Uber, Eurail, PayPal, Venmo, eBay, Dell, LinkedIn, Etsy, Gumtree, Firestone, INC Magazine, Amazon, Carewell, Famous Dave's, Martha Stewart Omni, Intel, Travelocity, DECC, Semrush, Optmyzr, Neustar, Macy’s, GoDaddy, 3M, Siemens, Land's End, and many more. A fixture on the international conference circuit, Marty has appeared in front of hundreds of international search & social marketing conference audiences, from Jerusalem to Sydney.

In this episode, Marty discusses his agency’s approach to performance marketing, brand building, public relations, and data analytics. Marty shares his valuable insights about the current state of marketing in 2023 and its future. He notes the ongoing changes and challenges in the industry, including layoffs and shifts in resource allocation due to the rise of AI. He describes the cyclic nature of the industry, with professionals moving between in-house positions, agencies, and consultancies.

Marty also emphasizes the need for marketers to adapt to the evolving landscape and ensure their skills remain relevant in the age of AI.

Overall, this episode provides a glimpse into Marty's background and the current state of the marketing industry with a focus on the impact of AI.

Connect with Aimclear: www.linkedin.com/in/aimclear/

Connect with Marty: www.instagram.com/martyweintraub/

www.facebook.com/marty.weintraub

Join us as we explore tips and insights to button up your advertising strategy your before, during, and after this crucial event. From crafting offers to leveraging marketing tactics, we provide you with a comprehensive toolkit to maximize your Prime Day success.

Key Discussions:

• Impact of deals on Prime Day performance: Running deals can significantly increase click-through rates and conversion rates, leading to higher orders. Brands that ran a deal saw a 30% increase in conversion rates, while those that didn't run a deal experienced a 13% decline in conversion rates.
• Advertising strategies for Prime Day: It is advised not to go overboard with bids during Prime Day as high traffic doesn't necessarily translate to higher conversion rates. Keeping bids consistent with the average and preparing for increased budget due to the spike in traffic is recommended.
• Post-Prime Day effects: After Prime Day, there may be a temporary downturn in traffic and sales due to a "holiday hangover" effect. However, brands that ran major promotions during Prime Day may experience higher traffic and improved organic rankings, leading to post-event sales.

Key Discussions:

• Concept of "tent-poling" and its three phases: lead-in, main event, and lead-out.
• Case study analysis of a supplement company and the importance of understanding impression quantity for effective customer conversion.
• The power of educating the audience through frequent ad exposure and its positive impact on conversion rate.
• Strategic approaches during the lead-in period, including targeting upper funnel traffic and utilizing retargeting techniques to maximize event traffic.
• Value of segmenting the retargeting pool and customizing creatives for different stages of the customer journey.
• Audience targeting, balancing core and reach audiences, and the significance of allocating sufficient budget for retargeting efforts during high-traffic events.

In this episode, we highlight crucial factors to consider when selecting an agency to manage your Amazon advertising strategy. From understanding core requirements to distinguishing them from optional features, we share valuable insights and provide a list of key questions to ask potential agencies.

We also explore best practices for bid optimization, keyword research, campaign funnels, negatives, and placement adjustments.

Key takeaways:      

• Gain a comprehensive understanding of the core requirements and essential features to prioritize when selecting an agency.
• Evaluate the agency's approach to bid optimization frequency, keyword research strategies, and systematic management of negatives.
• Take inventory of Amazon advertising products and features the agency is utilizing, compared to what is available.
• Seek collaborative partnerships with agencies that offer data-driven optimization and have the capability to provide external creative support if required.
• Recognize the complexity of Amazon advertising and identify the agency that best aligns with your specific needs.

Choosing the right agency partner can be a decisive factor for brands aiming to differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace. Tune in to the full episode as we guide you through the best questions to ask and the critical aspects to consider when looking for an Amazon advertising agency.

This week on The Ad Project we welcome Kyle Slunick, Amazon Advertising Manager / Velocity Analyst for Melissa & Doug and Executive Advertising Coach / Director of Performance Marketing for Private Label Mastery.  

In this episode, Kyle shares valuable insights from his extensive experience with Amazon advertising, uncovering overlooked strategies and game-changing opportunities for both brands and agencies. Kyle and Joe also discuss the challenges and strategies for growing an established brand like Melissa & Doug on Amazon while maintaining brand protection. They emphasize the need to move away from metrics like ACoS and ROAS and instead focus on metrics like TACoS and lifetime value. 

A handful of opportunities discussed: 

• Adopting the proper KPI’s that align with your strategies.   
• Leveraging the "New-to-Brand" metric on Amazon to track and optimize efforts for driving incremental sales and acquiring new customers. 
• Investing in building brand equity and recognition through enhanced content, branding, and customer experience. 
• Monitoring and analyzing competitive landscape and market trends to identify new opportunities and stay ahead of the competition. 

For more tips and insights to improve your Amazon advertising strategy, tune in for the full episode!   

Connect with Kyle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-slunick-10047a133/ 

With over a decade's experience in the eCommerce industry, Brent has a deep understanding of the intricacies of Amazon's algorithms and the best digital marketing practices for helping entrepreneurs and brands succeed in the Amazon marketplace.

In this episode, Joe and Brent dive into the ever-evolving landscape of Amazon advertising, from driving external traffic from Google to Amazon listings, to mid and upper funnel strategies.

Top 4 Discussion Points:

• Driving External Traffic: Strategies and benefits of driving external traffic, particularly from Google to Amazon listings.
• Tracking and Monitoring: Significance of tracking tools to monitor the impact on organic rank and ensure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
• Alternative Metrics: Exploration of metrics such as new-to-brand, lifetime value, and customer acquisition costs to measure the impact of mid and upper funnel strategies.
• Challenges in Measurement: Challenges of accurately connecting metrics with advertising data and measuring incrementality and market share.

Overall, this podcast episode provides insights into driving external traffic to Amazon, optimizing advertising efforts, and measuring the impact of various strategies in the complex world of Amazon advertising.

Connect with Brent: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentzahradnik/?originalSubdomain=fr

AMZ Pathfinder: https://www.amzpathfinder.com/

Top 5 new features mentioned:

• Enhanced navigation in the Ad Console, consolidating access to sponsored ads, DSP, and other elements in one location.
• Dropdown menu for navigating between different markets, making it easier to access and manage campaigns in various regions.
• Ability to add a column for top-of-search impression share on the campaign level, simplifying bid adjustment and placement.
• Introduction of the Products tab, providing a comprehensive view of ASIN performance metrics, associated campaigns, and ad groups.
• Brand insights and visual representation of the funnel in the Insights and Planning tab, enabling tracking of brand impression share and comparison to peers in different categories.

By leveraging these new features, advertisers can refine their targeting options, create personalized ad experiences, and drive more sales on Amazon. Join us as we unpack these updates and learn how they can elevate your advertising efforts in the dynamic landscape of online advertising.

In this episode, Joe Shelerud and Sean Morgan, Digital Media Manager from Ad Advance, discuss the latest developments in AI and its impact on product search, search traffic, and advertising. They focus on the potential of AI and chatbots in helping users navigate and make purchasing decisions.

Overall, the podcast explores the ways in which AI is changing the landscape of marketing and advertising and how businesses can integrate these new technologies into their strategies.

Key Discussions:       

• Latest developments in AI for product search and search traffic
• Integration of AI in the market  
• Conversational aspect of chat GPT and its potential impact on search results
• Limitations of current chatbots and need for a better user experience
• Shift towards a single platform that combines traditional search, product research, and browsing
• Potential of AI-generated video and audio ads and how it could democratize advertising.

Joe and Jon Tilley of ZonGuru explore how AI is changing the way we approach tasks in the workplace and why it’s catching so many people’s attention - even though it has been around for years.  

More specifically, Joe and Jon discuss optimized Amazon product listings powered by ChatGPT and how utilizing this technology can increase click-through rates. Jon also shares his insights on the various other fields where AI technology is being utilized and how it has become more accessible to the public. 

Jon also does a quick overview of ZonGuru’s industry-leading keyword tool called Keywords on Fire, which focuses on keyword relevancy. 

Key Discussions:  

• The impact of AI technology in Amazon advertising. 
• The accessibility of AI to the general public. 
• The benefits and potential risks of AI. 
• The criticality of click-through rate and conversion in optimizing Amazon listings. 
• The importance of using relevant and specific keywords in listing optimization. 

A little more background on Jon Tilley and ZonGuru: 

Zonguru is a technology toolset that helps e-commerce brands and agencies scale on Amazon through data intelligence and automation. 

Jon launched ZonGuru in 2016 with the goal of creating operational tools that solve Amazon Seller challenges, driving the most significant impact on scaling revenue and profits. 

Before starting Zonguru, Jon worked for 15 years as an Advertising Strategist for prominent digital agencies in Johannesburg, London, and Los Angeles. In 2014, he launched several successful private label brands on Amazon, which eventually led him to create Zonguru. 

If you're an Amazon Seller:

Follow this link for 20% lifetime discount on any ZonGuru Plan and Period, or to access a 7 day free trial: https://zonguru.link/ADV20

If you're an agency:

Follow this link for a 21 day free trial: https://zonguru.link/ADV-EP

Learn more about ZonGuru: www.zonguru.com

Connect with Jon Tilley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jontilley/

It can be difficult to figure out where to start with all the different factors involved in choosing targeting types, creatives, along with setting performance expectations for each of the ad types with Amazon Ads.

Key discussions from the episode:

• The three main stages of the advertising funnel and the importance of figuring out where to invest ad dollars.
• The different ad types available on Amazon: sponsored products, sponsored brands, and sponsored display, and where they fall within the funnel.
• Examples of different levels of targeting for each ad type, from brand defense to general interest-based targeting.
• The evolution of Amazon's sponsored display ad type to include audience targeting, which is a different ad product altogether from product targeting.
• How the team approaches ad strategy by grouping ads by similarity in targeting and performance.
• The team's recommendation to start at the bottom of the funnel and work their way up to prioritize ad investment based on the product catalog's lifecycle and overarching objectives for the brand.
• The importance of building an adequate foundation of bottom-of-funnel strategies before targeting top-of-funnel audiences to avoid losing engagement and interest.

Listen to the full episode for our full breakdown of the advertising funnel and recommendations for where to start.

David Khoshpasand, Amazon Performance Marketing Manager with Hasbro, joins us on The Ad Project podcast to talk through consumer behavior and how research directly ties into marketing and a solid Amazon ads strategy.

Key Discussions:

• Consumer behavior and how it’s a dynamic process that involves several stages, including acquisition, usage, and disposal of products or services.
• The psychological core and culture's impact on decision-making.
• In terms of marketing, attention is limited, selective, and divided.
• Ads need to be in front of consumers multiple times to create familiarity and motivation.   
• Problem recognition and reference groups also influence decision-making. Using Play-Doh as an example, David discusses how low effort purchases still require marketing to push purchases down the funnel.
• How mere exposure effects and biases impact consumer behavior.
• High brand equity does not negate the need for top-of-mind advertising.
• Amazon Marketing Cloud and how it can help map out customer behavior.
• Key metrics for upper funnel advertising and brand building.

David has over a decade of marketing experience, with extensive knowledge in developing business strategies for growth. David also taught consumer behavior and marketing research at MBU, and is a natural problem-solver with a firm grasp of customers and markets.

Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dkmarketing/

In this episode of The Ad Project podcast, we are joined by Sean Morgan, an account manager at Ad Advance, to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the advertising industry.

The conversation focuses on the recent developments from chatGPT and Bard (among others) and how search behavior might change or be disrupted as a result.

Key Points:   

• How chatbots from Google, Microsoft, and other companies are changing the market and search behavior.
• How AI neural network language models like chatGPT and Bard are improving the quality of responses and providing more factual information.
• Limitations and ethical concerns associated with the use of AI in advertising.
• How chatbots could potentially make product search easier by cutting down on the research required, and finding the best options based on specific criteria.
• The potential for integrating advertisements into the question-answer process, which could impact the accuracy of the answers provided.

Overall, the conversation is approachable regardless of your knowledge on the topic of AI and offers some valuable insights into the use of AI in the advertising industry.

AMC allows advertisers to gain extremely granular, event-level, and shopper-level data that can be used to better understand customer interactions with ads on a deeper level.

Some of the key items discussed in today's episode include:

• How AMC can help overcome limitations of last-touch attribution
• The benefits of using AMC to better understand customer interactions to various ad strategies.
• AMC reporting  

And much more!

Connect with Sreenath: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sreenathkreddy/

With over 10 years of experience in digital marketing and e-commerce, Keith has a focus on marketplace growth and management. He was brought on specifically to launch Made In's Amazon channel, which they have been on for a little over a year, and has since expanded to manage their presence on Walmart, including search and advertising catalog.

Keith provides a lot of value to the community and shares many great takeaways for brands looking to succeed within the marketplace.

Tune in to today's episode to discover the secrets of how brands can effectively break the mold with advertising. 

Connect with Keith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-hamann/ 

The main topic of today's discussion is how Amazon sellers can maximize their profitability in 2023 by addressing the challenges posed by inflation, rising advertising costs, and Amazon fees.

The conversation covers key strategies that brands can implement to remain profitable and upcoming trends emerging from the event.

In today’s episode, Joe and Erik shared some key factors to consider when creating video ads, along with sharing the benefits behind using video ads to target customers at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

Not quite sure where to start with video ads? Let’s dive into today’s episode!

In today’s episode, Matt and Joe unpacked the importance of new-to-brand customers, why you should care about new-to-brand, and how to measure it. You’ll learn how to optimize your advertising strategy using new-to-brand metrics and how brand building can maximize your lifetime value.

With valuable takeaways and metrics highlighted in today’s episode, you’ll want to listen through to the end if you’re looking to take things to the next level!

The key takeaway from today's episode is for sellers to build a solid advertising foundation based on their goals. Once that foundation is established and there is margin available, sellers can then leverage upper funnel strategies to help take things to the next level.

There's a lot that is unpacked in today's episode, so grab a pen and paper and let's dive in!

With a solid brand presence, sellers focus less on pricing and more on delivering the best value to their target audience. Molly and Joe shared a step-by-step approach to how sellers can get started with brand building and highlighted areas to audit to help fine-tune their messaging.

One key benefit to building a brand avatar is that it allows brand owners to think beyond just how their audience will interact with their products. By creating a more complete and nuanced representation of their target audience, they can better understand their audience's needs and motivations. This can help to develop more effective advertising strategies and maximize returns.

Overall, this episode provides valuable and practical insights that can help brands take their advertising to the next level.

There were a lot of major key takeaways unpacked in this episode that can help brands better understand the impact of placement types and how to use these metrics to make more informed decisions to maximize their ad spend.

As you listen to this episode, here are some visuals and readings:

LinkedIn post: https://bit.ly/3DRw6YK

Article:  https://www.adadvance.com/blog/sponsored-ads-perfomance-q4-2022/

Grab your pen and paper, and let’s dive in!  

Scott Needham is the CEO and Founder of SmartScout, a tool used for competitor and product research. Scott is a thought leader who loves everything AI and continues to find ways to make growing eCommerce brands easier and more effective.

It was great having Scott join as he provided a unique spin on what sellers can do to take things to the next level.

Connect with Scott:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-needham-a8b39813/

In today’s episode, both Matt and Joe dived into the report and shared tips on how brands can utilize these metrics. A few use cases are:

• Keyword Discovery
• Trend Analysis
• Measuring Brand Share
• Tracking the effectiveness of ad campaigns

The Search Query Performance Report is a valuable tool for brands to grow and improve their overall strategies. There was a lot of great information shared in today’s episode, so we highly recommend reviewing our social post after listening.

Check out the post here: https://bit.ly/3DBY1vF

In today’s episode, Joe and Kyle discussed some key pillars to consider when managing advertising for brands. 

These are: 

• Planning 
• Activation
• Reporting and Analysis 

We dived into each of these, plus more in this episode! 

Connect with Kyle: 

Kyle currently works as the Training & Development Director at Pacvue. He is surrounded by his amazing team, who aggressively push the limits of what’s possible in e-commerce advertising. He has had the pleasure of identifying pain points for users of SaaS and creating in-depth training that helps them hit their goals and grow their businesses.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylejkirkwood/

A few high on the list:

• Having global budgets for Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display ads.  
• Improving controls with Sponsored Products placement adjustments.    
• Creating custom audiences for non-endemic advertisers.
• Official reporting on organic ranking.

We also make our case for why each of these, and many more mentioned, would benefit brands in 2023.

Overall, highly recommend listening through to the end, as this was a fun episode thinking ahead for what could be in store in 2023!

When you look at all the pieces that take you from the first click all the way to the conversion, there are endless to-do’s to improve your listings, advertising strategy, etc.

So, you have to look at everything you could do, and then prioritize.

Jason Landro of Nectar joins us on The Ad Project podcast this week to talk through one piece that is extremely important to prioritize overall – content.

Jason walks us through his content optimization process, from first learning everything there is to know about the client’s brand on a macro and micro level – and then using that info to help brands stand out from their competition.

If boosting your content game is one of your goals for the new year, make sure and check out the full episode!

Thanks for all the great info and for sharing your expertise, Jason!  

Nater's entrepreneurial focus is on the SaaS platform, an amalgamation of his 10+ years leading eCommerce businesses. From a University dorm room in 2008, Nater built the first multi-store grocery delivery platform in the PNW, which brought him to Amazon.com, where he learned and experienced blowing up brands on the Amazon marketplace. This led him to develop an Amazon consulting agency that did the same for brands and sellers, driving over $500MM in growth on Amazon. 

This was a great conversation as Nater walked us through his full experience and learnings while working for Amazon and with some of the largest consumer brands. He also shared key tips and strategies to help brands navigate the Amazon ecosystem. 

Ways to connect with Nater: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nateryoungchild/ 

Website: www.d8adriven.com 

In today's episode, Matt and Joe had a really fun time reflecting on their journey on the podcast alongside all the changes with Amazon advertising. To spice things up a bit, we included some questions we got about our journey and growth with the podcast.

This was a fun episode looking back on our growth with the podcast and the tremendous growth within the advertising space.

Topics discussed include:

• General performance trends between platforms when optimizing ads.
• What is the “best” ROAS when developing a multi-channel advertising strategy?
• How to diversify ad spend across different channels

Advertising across multiple channels has proven to have positive results for many brands looking to expand their strategy. With Leo’s wide range of experience managing ads across multiple channels, there’s a lot of great information unpacked in today’s episode.

More about Leo Ebbert: 

Leo Ebbert is the founder and president of Exact Click Digital, a boutique agency specializing in paid ads management. Since founding Exact Click Digital, Leo and his team have helped dozens of brands drive over 1,000,000 conversions through paid advertising.

You can connect with Leo at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leo-ebbert-170a256/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/exactclickdigital 

Website: https://exactclickdigital.com

Overall this was a great episode with a ton of takeaways on optimization strategies, timelines, and key adjustments to set you up well for the rest of Q4.

Grab a pen and paper, and let's dive in!

If you're considering DSP or have been trying to figure out why there's so much buzz around the platform, it's because we can harness Amazon's first-party data to look at purchase history and determine who might be interested in certain products. From there, we can segment people into an infinite number of customizable audiences, which is extremely powerful.

With all of Amazon DSP's audience insights, sources, data, we can build out a complete, full funnel strategy.

Amazon DSP can be an Amazing option for many and if you're an Amazon Brand with a solid Sponsored Ads foundation - the time is now. If you're an established non-Amazon brand looking to diversify their ad spend, the time was yesterday.

In this week's episode, our guest Sam Lee unpacks some essential considerations of Amazon's DSP.

Key topics include:

• Macroeconomic conditions and the impact on ecommerce brands
• When to diversify your ad mix and how to approach budgets
• How to measure success of upper funnel strategies
• Who should be utilizing the full capabilities of Amazon's DSP

Sam has been in the Amazon industry for 5 years and has a ton of experience with Amazon DSP, including building out the full DSP strategy for Thrasio. He is now Head of Growth and Amazon DSP for DLVRD Media.

Connect with Sam:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samleenkedin/

Email: sam.lee@dlvrdmedia.com

Website: https://dlvrdmedia.com/

Maarja shared her perspective on the importance of having great creatives and being able to tell a story with your ads. Both her and Joe dived into the different types of creatives, such as video ads, and ways brands can amplify their advertising using these features.

Whether you’re nailing it with creatives, looking to make improvements, or just getting started, there are many great tips unpacked in today’s episode!

As we continue to expand, we’re looking at other traffic sources and thinking about how brands can tie together these pieces to scale. In today’s episode, Matt & Joe spent some time talking about how to use Google advertising to help drive traffic to Amazon.

Some of the key points covered include:

• What is Amazon Attribution
• Why use Amazon Attribution
• How to set up Amazon Attribution campaigns

The primary place where product search begins is Amazon and Google. It is becoming increasingly important for brands to start looking at every opportunity to gain a competitive edge, and understanding how to stitch the two together can help set your brand apart.

Let’s dive in, and more to come in future episodes.

Many consumers are adjusting their spending habits to adapt to inflation and higher interest rates. While dialing back on your advertising spend may seem to make sense for the short term, maximizing efficiency can help weather the uncertainty and reduce the impact on profit margins.

In today’s episode, Matt & Joe discussed ways brands can pivot their advertising strategy to increase profit margins and maximize efficiency. There is a ton of great information unpacked in this episode, so grab a pen and paper and let’s dive in!

This was a fun episode, taking a journey down memory lane and really appreciating our growth within the industry.

In today's episode, Matt & Joe thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight some of the key trade-offs and their impact.

A couple of specifics covered in this episode include:

• Increasing sales and how it affects ACoS
• Sales vs. TACoS
• How eliminating a branded strategy can affect overall metrics

Whether you're looking to drive more sales or improve campaign efficiency, there are a couple of trade-offs to consider before finding the sweet spot for your brand.

Grab a pen and paper, and let's dive in!

Some of the key concerns when starting an agency include:

•  Hiring the right people
•  Building a culture
• Transparency
•  Handling change
• Working together as a team

All this plus more was covered in today's episode!

As we're approaching Q4, it is important to have a solid structure and foundation. This is why in today's episode, both Joe and Matt spent some time picking apart key things to consider when reviewing your Sponsored Ads campaigns. By reviewing these top 5 areas, you are likely well set up for a successful Q4 and beyond!

Grab a pen and paper, and let's dive into today's episode.

In today’s episode, Joe is joined by one of our Account Managers, Noah Salzl. Noah walked through multiple case studies where his clients attained tremendous growth outside of peak shopping days.

Overall, this is a fun conversation going through different scenarios and understanding how brands can implement strategies for exponential growth outside of peak days.

In today’s episode, Joe was joined by Russ Dieringer from Stratably to talk through the changes within digital commerce and the role of Amazon within these Omnichannel consumer brands.

Topics covered include:

• General trends among sellers and how they’re setting themselves apart.
• Major hold-ups for bigger brands to adopt new features.
• High-level perspective on future trends within digital commerce.

By creating proprietary research, data, and thought leadership, Russ is focused on driving conviction and igniting new possibilities inside companies that want to thrive for the next 100 years. It was great having him as a guest in today’s episode and an opportunity for us to look at the bigger picture.

In this episode, Joe and Matt decided to dive deep into each of these features offered by Amazon. They touched on a quick overview for each, when sellers should consider using these features, and key information that can be obtained.

It can be challenging for brands to keep track of all the new features released by Amazon. So today, we wanted to summarize the major ones while helping brands better understand their benefits.

However, when is the best time to implement DSP into your advertising mix?

In today’s episode, Joe was joined by Adam Mellott from Better AMS to walk through Amazon DSP, when to implement it, and how to tie it together with the other ad types.

Adam has a very unique story on how he was introduced to the Amazon space by working with authors on the publishing side, transitioning to a full-service agency, and now thoroughly enjoying his role and working with many clients at Better AMS.

It was exciting to go through the various pieces to consider when implementing Amazon DSP and a conversation we highly recommend listening to!

Some of the hot topics we touched on were: 

• Running deals and promotions 
• Major items to focus on during the days leading up to a peak shopping period 
• Communication 

While it may be a bit early to start touching on Q4 prep items, brands should start planning their advertising strategies early on, so they can make the most out of these periods. 

In today’s episode, Matt and Joe spent some time talking through ways brands can accurately measure seasonality and how to be proactive.  

Key Takeaways include: 

• Analyzing your account/products to understand your seasonality 
• How to use Brand Analytics reports to measure seasonality 
• Ways to be proactive and ride the waves throughout peak periods 

With Q4 coming up, grab your pen and paper, and let’s talk through ways to prepare for peak seasons!   

In today’s episode, both Matt and Joe dived deeper on some of the key insights and share a couple of initial takeaways from the data we’re pulling in.

• Traffic trends by the hour
• CVR and ROAS by the hour
• Key takeaways for brands focused on efficiency vs. expanding reach

This episode goes hand-in-hand with some of the visuals from our Amazon Marketing Stream article, so highly recommend checking that out!

Which goes beyond your competitors' performance data, search

volume, and revenue targets.

In today's episode, I was excited to have Adam Runquist as our guest to walk through the success formula for growing a brand. Adam is a trusted advisor and investor in the Amazon space. He also has a popular Youtube channel, "Adam Heist," and provides training through his program, The FBA Blueprint.

From the first-party data and targeted ad strategies to advertising inventory and expansive options with creatives, each platform has its own advantages that can be overlapped to help brands diversify their ad spend.

Overall, this was a fun conversation that included topics every owner should touch on to stay competitive and identify new opportunities.

Both Matt and Joe spent time not only sharing strategies but also metrics every seller should be watching to help gauge their performance.

George has been in the digital advertising space since 2009, working on various platforms such as Google, Amazon, Bing, LinkedIn, and Facebook. It was really fun to have him join in on this conversation as we took a step back to look at the bigger picture of Amazon DSP.

Topics covered include: 

• A detailed explanation of Amazon Marketing Stream 
• How to utilize shopping trends throughout the day to stay ahead of your competition
• Dayparting vs. Continuous bidding 

With the launch of Stream, brands will now have access to the data they need to be incredibly strategic with their bids and win placements when it matters. 

In today's episode, I was joined by Melissa Barnstorf, one of our Account Managers, to dive into how we're reviewing DSP performance with our clients. We tackled common questions we get asked and our strategies to help brands evaluate their overall media spend.

There are countless of opportunities using Amazon DSP. However, having solid measurements you can track is vital to ensuring that you're getting a good return.

We're continually reviewing the stats, and looking purely on a cost versus performance basis, we're still getting a bargain for the Top of Search position. However, we see that quite a few sellers continue to shy away from utilizing these ad placements, so we wanted to dive into this on our podcast.  

In this episode, Matt and I talked more about the benefits of adjusting your ad placements, especially Top of Search, along with a few bidding strategies you can use to implement these.  

Overall, this was a fun episode and a topic we love digging into!  

In today’s episode, I invited Elizabeth Greene to join in discussing what to focus on when evaluating campaign performance. I’ve always enjoyed Elizabeth’s perspective and gained a lot of insights as we covered topics like:

• Assessing overall account health vs. product by product performance.
• Tools to help with account reviews. 
• Key opportunities sellers are underutilizing with their ads.

In today’s episode, I was excited to be joined by Gloria Steiner from Perpetua to talk through more use cases and ways AMC can help with our advertising efforts. The first time I’ve ever heard about Amazon Marketing Cloud was from Gloria! So, I really enjoyed having her join this discussion and getting her full perspective on the tool.

Between Sponsored Ads, DSP, Amazon Marketing Cloud, and MWS (now the Selling Partner API), it can be tough to understand where to start and the key things to consider.

In today's episode, Sreenath Reddy from Intentwise joined me today to discuss all things data and Amazon advertising! Overall it was a fun conversation and definitely worth the listen!

AMC is a great reporting tool that provides meaningful analytics, tying together a complete picture of the buyer’s journey and touchpoints. Having access to these data sets will truly help advertisers and brands refine their audience targets and overall ad strategy.

This is a conversation we often have with sellers after reviewing their accounts. A key precursor to advertising is not only having a great product but also having a great product detail page that can help convert the traffic you're driving to your listing.

For this episode, we decided to pivot from our typical advertising conversations and go through the fundamentals of creating a well-optimized listing. It was great having David Dayon from AmazonXperts join us to share his tips on how sellers can better set up their listings to convert more traffic from advertising.

Going through and doing account audits, we see a lot of different trends. In today’s episode, I wanted to talk with Jeremy, our Business Development Lead, to discuss some of the common trends we see when reviewing ad campaigns.

While there are some major common trends, there are also small moves that get missed quite often by sellers, which can really take their business to the next level if implemented correctly.

We spent some time diving into some of the critical things we encounter during account audits and shared strategies we use to resolve these issues.

In today’s episode, Tony and Joe spent some time going over the DSP funnel while focusing on the upper funnel strategies sellers can implement based on their stage and goals.

Understanding how to approach upper funnel strategies and critical items to consider can help brands better position themselves for success.

As a seller, understanding where you fall on the curve can significantly affect your decision towards making incremental price changes. 

In this episode, Matt and I dived into overall results from the case study we conducted and the impact price adjustments have on advertising and overall profits. 

Key items we discussed include:

✅Sponsored Brands ad types

✅When to use each ad type

✅Key items to focus on when running Sponsored Brands video

ads

✅Incorporating Sponsored Brands ads in your advertising mix

Getting people to your storefront is really the next step to connecting with shoppers who are more in the browsing phase or looking to purchase products repeatedly. Amazon Sponsored Brands makes these connections a lot easier while also protecting your brand.

In today’s episode, we were joined by Josh Justice, the Search Marketing Manager at The Lego Group, to discuss how established brands are winning with Amazon advertising.

One of the key pieces we dived into was setting overall goals for your brand and how best to allocate budgets that align with your goals.

Having access to aggregated data and competitive insights is only one piece of the puzzle. Understanding the data and implementing this in a strategy to meet your target customers' needs is what really sets you apart.

In today's episode, both Matt and I thoroughly discussed Amazon's brand analytics reports and how sellers can use this data to improve their ad strategy.

1. How do you best handle account suspension?
2. What strategies can sellers use to get reinstated quickly?

In this episode, I was joined by Lesley Hensell from Riverbend Consulting to talk through some of the reasons accounts are being suspended and tips sellers can use to get back to selling quickly.

Connect with Lesley:

Website: https://riverbendconsulting.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesleyhensell

In today’s episode, we’re joined by one of our Account Execs, Kylie Jarvinen, to discuss key pillars to building a successful and profitable relationship with clients within the Amazon space.

A few takeaways  we had were:

• Understanding that no information is bad information. The more we know, the more we can grow.
• Being aligned on key goals from the start
• Building trust through openness, honesty, and transparency
• A good relationship starts with good communication
• Ownership and expectations

Often, we see sellers focusing too much on their campaign structures and targets while taking a reactive approach to bidding, which usually results in poor advertising performance. It is important to understand that successful campaigns are designed with a step-by-step, strategic and proactive bidding approach that aligns with the overall business goals.

In today's episode, I was happy to be joined by Michael Erickson Facchin from Ad Badger to dive into various bid optimization strategies. We had a great time discussing how sellers can optimize their bids to align with overall business goals and get the most from their advertising efforts.

Topics discussed:

• Setting initial bids for new campaigns         
• The approach to bidding for a new product launch
• Overall bid adjustment strategies
• Understanding the value of the next click

Connect with Michael:

Website: https://www.adbadger.com/

Podcast: https://www.adbadger.com/amazon-advertising-ppc-den-podcast/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-erickson-facchin-b7314866/

In today’s episode, Matt and I dived deep into these strategies and answered questions typically asked about campaign structure, results, and overall performance.   

We had an amazing time with Mina in today's episode covering some of the core fundamentals sellers should be looking at when optimizing their campaigns. Being a seller himself, Mina shared scenarios that would typically arise when running ads, along with tips on how you can split test images, price, and optimize your ad strategy to meet your overall business goals.

Connect with Mina Elias:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mina.elias.7

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mina-elias-52313772/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/egyptian_prescription_elias/

Episode Highlights:

Core fundamentals to consider when analyzing ad campaigns    [02:38]

Case study scenarios on ad optimization                                           [07:20]

How to tell if your advertising is working                                           [18:04]

Episode Highlights: 

What should you set for advertising budget? [01:52]

Setting budgets to maintain profit margins [05:12]

Setting budgets to cut ACoS [07:38]

Setting budgets for product launches [12:13]

How to allocate ad spend with a tight budget [15:59]

With Amazon getting more competitive driving up CPC, sellers will need to have an incremental change with their advertising goals.

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Lucas Kwiatkowski to dive into key reasons we’re seeing fluctuations with ACoS and TACoS. We also highlighted ways sellers can adjust their advertising goals to battle the changes with these metrics.

About Lucas Kwiatkowski

Lucas started managing PPC over 7 years ago and loved it from the start. He still enjoys diving deep into the advertising data for all of his accounts and usually comes up with advanced PPC topics not popular within the space. Lucas is very involved with all of his clients and takes a hands-on approach to managing their business growth. He spends a lot of time making YouTube videos to help smaller sellers master the art of PPC while also teaching them advanced tactics.

Connect With Lucas:

Website: www.amznomadz.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-kwiatkowski-0017

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV1Od62QQLo9nmNMysS6wiA

Episode Highlights:

How changes with Amazon impacts TACoS           [02:03]

Key drivers behind fluctuations in TACoS              [03:45]

Analyzing TACoS                                                         [06:25]

Ad cannibalization                                                     [14:21]

Where has the most value for retargeting ads     [18:11]

Key drivers for long term growth                            [19:51]

Ways to battle high TACoS                                       [23:04]

In today's episode, we're joined by one of our Account Execs, Josh, to really talk through Amazon Attribution and how brands can implement this into their strategy to measure consumer behavior from their off-Amazon marketing efforts.

Episode Highlights:

What is Amazon attribution?      [01:46]

Amazon attribution metrics        [03:44]

Options within Amazon attribution [05:13]

Naming conventions and campaign structure [10:35]

How to segment ad campaigns within Amazon attribution [13:08]

Building a brand with Amazon attribution [15:47]

Key Items Covered:

• Rules of thumb when getting started with DSP
• Allocating budgets between different ad types
• Using DSP analytics to supplement Sponsored Ads

Connect with Vitalii:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitaliikhyzhniak/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/v.khyzhniak

Instagram URL: https://www.instagram.com/khyzhniak_

In today's episode, Destaney and Joe touched on the major shifts that happened this year and how sellers can optimize their strategies to stay on up of their advertising in 2022.

Connect with Destaney:

Website: https://betterams.com/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIyDW8XfX2gTWFHK_otUwAw 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon/ 

Connect directly with Joe:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeshelerud/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shelerud

Episode Highlights

Intro [00:19]

How inventory changes affected Amazon advertising in 2021 [03:00]

Launch or ranking strategy in 2021 [08:09]

Ad types and strategies this year [09:55]

Competition in the ad space [14:25]

The rise in aggregators and its impact on advertising [16:52]

What to expect with advertising in 2022 [21:16]

How sellers can set themselves up for success in 2022 [25:59]

The last couple of weeks has been busy with Amazon advertising new features releases. We understand that it can be pretty difficult for sellers and advertisers to stay on top of all the new features, which is why we’ve decided to review the majority of the new features released in today’s episode. For each feature, Matt and Joe discussed the features use and how these can tie into your current advertising strategy.

Episode Highlights

Sponsored Products Rule Based Bidding                   [01:23]

Updated lookback windows for Sponsored Display audiences [09:17]

Forecasted impression share and impression rank for recommended keywords [11:56]

New sort by feature for recommended keywords [15:53]

Sponsored Brands bid optimization for new-to-brand customers       [16:21]

Automated Translation of Keywords [18:39]

Sponsored Display bidding updates   [22:20]

Amazon API support for Sweden [24:30]

With shoppers being more strategic on how they’re spreading their dollars this season, we are forced to revise our strategy to fully take advantage of the holiday period.

Utilizing retargeting ads to target shoppers browsing around your product listings can help recover missed opportunities. In today’s episode, Matt and Joe will share ways you can get started with retargeting ads and how you can implement this in your current strategy.

Episode Highlights

What is retargeting                [01:27]

How to use retargeting for missed opportunities [02:28]

Retargeting ads placements       [03:47]

Bidding with Sponsored Display retargeting ads [06:07]

Lookback windows when setting up retargeting campaigns [09:52]

Difference between Sponsored Display retargeting and DSP retargeting [13:34]

The key goal of brand building is to introduce shoppers who could

potentially be interested in your brand to learn more about your brand and

products. Over time, as you continue to work on brand building strategies, you

will see your branded search increase. This is a true indicator that these

higher funnel strategies work and can result in loyal customers with repeated

purchases over time.

In today’s episode, both Joe and Matt talked about the importance of brand

building and what sellers should be focusing on when building their brand. They

also dived deep into these upper funnel strategies, how to implement them and

what metrics to monitor when measuring their success.

There are a number of common Seller Central issues that Amazon sellers experience and dealing with Seller Support can be time-consuming. Working with an agency to help resolve these issues can help expedite the troubleshooting process, but there are a few things you can try on your own before asking for professional assistance. In today's episode, John Cavendish from Seller Candy joins us to talk through troubleshooting issues when selling on Amazon.

Key Items Covered:

• Major issues that arise when selling on Amazon
• Ways to resolve listing suspensions
• Tips for cutting through Amazon's automated responses

About John Cavendish 

John has a vast amount of experience owning and overseeing millions in sales on Amazon. This experience and managing his own brand led him to start a full-service Amazon agency, becoming a premier Amazon channel management provider for brands to scale fast while building a supportive team. John's deep understanding of the Amazon seller experience and platform led to developing Seller Candy's concept, providing the expert Virtual Assistant experience delivered as a service.

How to connect with John:

Agency website: Seller Candy www.sellercandy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thejohncavendish/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jgcuk

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejohncavendish/

Episode Highlights: 

About Seller Candy [01:57]

Major issues to look out for as an Amazon seller [04:01]

Reasons for listing suspensions [05:01]

Ways to resolve listing suspensions [07:00]

Common issues sellers are facing today [08:50]

Tips for cutting through Amazon's automated responses [11:34]

How to build a virtual team as a seller [13:18]

Upcoming challenges for selling on Amazon [17:13]

Knowing what we know about Q4 and how things typically play out, how can we use this information to be proactive vs reactive with our strategy?

On this week's episode, Matt and Joe will tell you what they anticipate heading into the holiday season and how to take into account 2021 specific challenges, such as inventory, when building out and optimizing your campaigns.

Tony Miller, one of our in-house account executives, will provide actionable tips that you can apply to your own campaigns.

Connect with Ad Advance: www.adadvance.com

Dave has been in the ecommerce space for the last 10 years working in online retail building great brands and companies with his friend and company founder, Tal Moore. Currently Dave is building Franklin's Popcorn, a gourmet popcorn company all about great movie theater popcorn at home. Last year Dave and Tal successfully sold their 8 figure brand, an outdoor security electronics company, Guardline.

Connect with Dave:

Website: www.franklinspopcorn.com

This week we're taking things a step further. Now that you've got your base funnel structure built out with Sponsored Products, we talk through how to introduce other ad types to your funnel and unique strategies you can implement to take things to the next level.

A strong Amazon sponsored ads strategy starts with a solid foundation. In this episode you'll take away a handful of actionable tips to get your product specific campaigns in order, and a solid Brand and ASIN defense strategy lined out across your account.

In this episode, Abe Chomali joins us to talk through dayparting on Amazon, and if it's an efficient strategy you should be utilizing for your brand. If not, what other things can you be focusing on to optimize your campaigns that will make a much bigger impact in the long run? We cover all of this and more in this week's episode of The Ad Project podcast.

Connect with Abe:

Website: www.xpstrategy.com

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abechomali/

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/AbeChomali

Instagram: https: //www.instagram.com/xp.strategy

There are a lot of pieces we could break down, but in this episode specifically we’re going to focus on primary campaigns: how we group products together, what we use for bid types, how we determine match types, what placements to use, funnel structure and more.

In the next couple of episodes in this series, we will continue to break down our core campaign strategies and give you actionable tips to start utilizing them.  

In this week's episode, we talk with Kris Gramlich and Dustin Kane of Sellozo to think through key advertising strategies and general things you should be thinking through as a seller heading into Amazon's most competitive season.

About Sellozo:

Sellozo offers an à la carte, comprehensive suite of intelligent tools for Amazon Sellers. We automate the tedious stuff, analyze a wealth of data, and package it all up into intuitive reporting and tools, powered by real data and backed by exceptional support, that Amazon Sellers need.

Sellozo’s core offering, Insights & Analytics with Financial Reporting, provide Amazon Sellers an enhanced and complete view of their sales and product data, paired with both organic and sponsored sales and performance data, in an easy-to-use, intuitive dashboard.

Our Ad Automation add-on tool provides an average 70% increase in return on ad spend by fully optimizing your Amazon Sponsored Product Listings, while lowering your wasted ad spend.

The Repricer add-on makes it possible to automatically adjust product prices, based on criteria you specify, to win and stay in the Buy Box.

Finally, our Support team, which is staffed by Amazon Sellers with years of selling experience, are here to help you with all things Amazon. We’re here for all our customers and offer extended, additional support options as well.

Connect with Sellozo:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sellozo/

Website: https://sellozo.com/

Now that you've got your ad types and targeting types dialed in, how do you tie that to overall strategy?

In this episode we'll focus on our key campaign strategies including funnel strategy, primary campaigns, ranking campaigns, brand defense, ASIN defense, and a couple of backup's to earn extra brand visibility.

The next episode in this series will walk through how to structure your campaigns to implement all of the strategies we touched on today. Stay tuned!

George strives to read, learn and consume as much information as possible that he can share with others, and be honest about what he's learning.

In this episode, George talks through the key areas where he feels sellers should be keeping their focus, the importance of brand building on Amazon, operations, the importance of strong product images, and more.

Connect with George:

Website: https://georges.blog/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgereid23/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/amazoncreatives

Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/its-always-day-one/id1525163787

In this mini series, Matt and Joe will be covering the fundamental pieces you should to check and double check to make sure you're in good shape with your Amazon advertising heading into Q4 - Ad types, application, and optimization and strategies.

Today's episode will cover ad types on Amazon, where they show up, which ad types you should be using and how you can utilize them to work together.

Keep an eye out for the next episode in the series with Joe and Matt!

 In this week’s episode of The Ad Project podcast, we cover all things bid optimization, and how it relates to structuring campaigns, conversion rate, keywords, new features on Amazon and the balance between software and hands-on management.

with a deep level of initial expertise in the Amazon industry. Why? To put it simply – you can teach someone new skills, but you can’t teach them to be a good person. Company culture is something we value and prioritize above a lot of other things in our business.

Erik Swenson is the Operations Manager with Ad Advance. He manages a large team of in-house account executives and is a huge reason our company culture continues to thrive from day to day. Erik joins us for this week’s episode of The Ad Project podcast to shed some light on company culture, why it matters, how it motivates our team and ultimately produces better results for our clients.

Jon notes that empowering Amazon brands to grow was probably the highlight of his time at Amazon. Now with Forum Brands, Jon still gets to engage with sellers, help them build, kick start the next chapter of their lives by taking their business off their hands and continuing their legacy.

How do people who are looking to potentially sell their brands really help to increase their valuation or help to set themselves apart? How do you figure out who to reach out to if you're looking to sell your brand? Tune in for answers to these questions and much more.

There are a handful of common myths we hear about Amazon DSP time and time again. Being that Amazon DSP is such an incredible opportunity for most sellers, we thought it would be a good idea to dive into each of these misconceptions and give our perspective. Now is a great time to start with DSP, to do a lot of tests and trials and see what really works for your brand. Don’t let these myths stop you!

It’s the talk of the town about how competitive it is to sell on Amazon these days. It’s also no secret that as a seller you’ll need to implement strategies and take advantage of new features to stay on top. Amazon continually provides sellers with more and more tools to establish a brand presence and connect with their customers. In this episode, Destaney Wishon from Better AMS joins Joe Sheleurd to talk through ways sellers can create and build a brand on Amazon using new features such as Amazon posts and lives. With Amazon advertising costs increasing, we wanted to touch on other ways sellers can utilize these tools to help diversify their investment on Amazon. 

Connect with Destaney:  

Website: https://betterams.com/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIyDW8XfX2gTWFHK_otUwAw 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon/ 

Episode Highlights: 

Intro [00:20] 

Amazon posts and how to use them [03:07] 

Long term predictions with Amazon posts [10:52]

Highlighting Amazon new features [14:15] 

Future expectations with Amazon advertising trends [21:37] 

What should brands focus on for Q4? [27:24] 

Having been in the Amazon space for many years, we know first-hand how important it is to know what not to do in order to avoid wasted spend and time when managing your ads. Over time, we’ve found there are a handful of mistakes we see sellers make with their advertising strategy and optimization. In this episode, we call out the top 3 common mistakes we see sellers make, and how to mitigate or prevent them.

Top 3 Mistakes:

1. Overcomplicating things from the start
2. Underutilizing all the features with Amazon advertising
3. Focusing on a single metric versus bigger picture

Episode Highlights

Intro    [00:38]

Steps to avoid overcomplicating ads from the start   [01:37]

Leaving money on the table by underutilizing Amazon advertising features           [10:46]  

Why focusing on a single metric vs. bigger picture may not be the best way to go [17:28]

Amazon is a convenient platform that allows shoppers to quickly find what they're looking for. Ranking is a critical component to being successful on Amazon since products ranked higher in search results typically get the most sales. It’s in Amazon's best interest to show products in top placements that will likely convert. However, with competition growing daily, how can sellers improve their ranking and obtain a bigger piece of the pie?  In this episode, we cover the most common questions on improving Amazon ranking and how Amazon advertising ties into it all.

Episode Highlights

Intro                                        [00:19]

What is organic ranking?        [00:57]

Key components that can affect Amazon rankings    [01:49]

Does Amazon advertising really help to improve organic rankings?          [13:41]

How to set up campaigns in Amazon to help boost organic ranking       [17:06]

What are the best resources when optimizing product listings?                [23:14]

Outsourcing any part of your business can be an intimidating step, especially if you don’t know the key pieces to look for when searching for support. When looking to choose an agency to partner with for advertising management, there are several important factors to consider when choosing one that’s right for you (or not choosing one!). In this episode, both Matt Wiklund and Joe Shelerud give you the information you need to confidently delegate your advertising so you can get back to the pieces of your business only you can do. 

Episode Highlights: 

Common questions to ask when looking for Amazon PPC support [01:13] 

How to manage results expectations [08:12] 

Understanding account management [13:07] 

Understanding their management process [16:30] 

General pricing structure [22:19] 

Being a successful seller on Amazon goes far beyond having the best strategies or the highest bids. Your product listings should be calling out what your competition is not in order to set your products apart and connect with WHY your customers choose your brand.

In this episode, both Joe and Brian Johnson took a step back to discuss the importance of optimizing your listings and all the areas a seller should focus on to help improve their conversion rate by creating a unique position of value with their products.

About Brian R Johnson:

 Brian R Johnson has helped over 20,000 brands succeed on Amazon through various advertising strategies and conversion rate optimization. He offers guidance to, and partners with, sellers through his online community, Amazon PPC Troubleshooting, as well as through coaching, software, training courses, and his flagship advertising agency, Canoy Management ( a multi-service, "done-for-you: Amazon agency).

Connect with Brian:

Website: https://canopymanagement.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrianRJohnsonOfficial/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrjohnsonppc/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianrjohnsonppc/

Episode Highlights:

Intro [0:26]

The importance of optimizing your listing [02:49]

Tips for optimizing your product listing [05:28]

How to structure AB tests on Amazon [11:58]

Revamping product titles [19:13]

Other items to focus on when optimizing your listing [26:31]

Amazon seasonality is an incredibly important factor to consider when strategizing with your ads year over year, month over month, and even week by week. Understanding these trends will not only help you set realistic expectations, it will guide how you manage your ads overall. When you know there’s going to be a change in traffic or conversion rate, you can make proactive adjustments to your campaigns to capture higher purchase intent, generate more sales, or control your ACoS.

In this episode, we talk through increasing competition on the platform, overall trends with CPC and conversion rates, and the long-term challenges sellers face trying to set themselves apart using Amazon advertising.

Episode Highlights:

Intro [00:32]

Consistent long-term trend [01:30]

Comparing results year over year [07:14]

General seasonality [10:44]

Day of the week trends [15:53]

Amazon TACoS is a metric that tends to be put on the backburner when it comes to measuring success on Amazon. But, why? Understanding what this metric means and using it to set big picture goals can significantly help sellers set themselves up for success.

 In this episode, Joe Shelerud and Lucas Kwiatkowski dive into TACoS, organic ranking, and how to properly prepare your brands for sale.

About Lucas Kwiatkowski

Lucas started managing PPC over 7 years ago and loved it from the start. He still enjoys diving deep into the advertising data for all of his accounts and usually comes up with advanced PPC topics not popular within the space. Lucas is very involved with all of his clients and takes a hands-on approach to managing their business growth. He spends a lot of time making YouTube videos to help smaller sellers master the art of PPC while also teaching them advanced tactics.

Connect With Lucas:

Website: www.amznomadz.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucas-kwiatkowski-0017

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV1Od62QQLo9nmNMysS6wiA

Episode Highlights:

Intro [0:28]

Understanding TACoS [02:46]

What TACoS target to shoot for? [05:18]

What to do if you’re already ranking at the top organically? [13:47]

Different types of ads management [17:33]

Key things to look at when preparing your brands for sale [22:10]

With only a few days to Prime Day 2021, most sellers would’ve already planned what deals they’re running, set up coupons, and had conversations with their advertising team. The summer months are usually low for traffic across all e-commerce platforms, as people are focused more on being outside, soaking up the warmer months. Amazon sees this as an excellent opportunity to bring attention back to their platform by offering skyrocket deals over two days. In this episode, both Matt Wiklund and Joe Shelerud recorded a live episode where they talked through strategies to ensure sellers set up themselves for success during the two-day event.

Main content covered in this episode:

• Lead-In to Prime Day
• CPC & Conversion Rate Trends
• Inventory & Product Mix
• Budget & Bid Adjustments
• Post-Prime Day Strategies

Episode Highlights:

Intro [00:23]

Introduction on expectations around Prime Day [01:29]

Key metrics to watch on Prime Day [06:10]

Recommendations on how to make Prime Day a success [11:07]

Things to consider after Prime Day [18:52]

Q&A Session [24:32]

How do you scale your ads after getting past the initial phase of setting up your

campaigns manually? Like many sellers, you’ve probably heard a lot about bulk

files. As the next step to stepping up optimizing your campaigns, we recommend

utilizing bulk files. Bulk files help with making manual moves within your

campaigns much easier while staying organized. It also allows you to analyze

your entire advertising account in one spreadsheet, saving busy

sellers/advertisers a lot of time. In today’s episode, Joe Shelerud is joined

by Elizabeth Greene from Junglr to discuss the benefits and tips when using bulk files.

How to connect with Elizabeth:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-greene-junglr/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.olsongreene/

Website: https://www.junglr.com/

Episode Highlights:

Intro                         [00:26]

Where should advertisers start when using bulk sheets?       [03:28]

Benefits for using bulk files               [05:04]

Tips on how to use bulk files for Amazon ads management [08:23]

Using bulk files vs. automation software                            [14:06]

Keyword research and bulk files                                          [19:44]

The Amazon advertising sphere is constantly changing, and as Amazon advertising experts, we have to stay up to date so we can steer the ship in the right direction for our clients. Whether this includes changes to the reporting or targeting different audience types, being on top of these new features is key to setting yourself apart. Liran Hirschkorn and Joe Shelerud dedicated this entire episode to discussing the newest features Amazon has rolled out and how to utilize them.

How to connect with Liran:

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liranhirschkorn/

Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/lhirschkorn

Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/ecommercemindsetgroup

Instagram Profile: https://www.instagram.com/liranhirschkorn/

Website: www.Incrementumdigital.com

Episode Highlights: 

Introductions [00:22] 

The rise of video ads [02:32] 

Sponsored Display audience targeting ads [13:44] 

Sponsored Display targeting past purchasers [23:01] 

What to expect with Amazon DSP [25:24] 

Tips on how to send traffic to your Amazon storefront [30:32] 

Where is Amazon Advertising going? [34:14] 

According to Amazon, 64% of customers go through multiple channels before making a purchase, and only 4% of shoppers instantly make a purchase.

Amazon DSP allows shoppers to take full advantage of the advanced audience targeting tactics to assist shoppers in moving from consideration to conversions.

In this episode, Matt and Joe speak to all the different audiences and strategies available with Amazon DSP, their key benefits, and their position in the funnel. After listening to today's episode, you will understand the vast potential of stacking audiences with DSP and how you might be able to utilize these concepts with products of your own.

Episode Highlights

Intro on DSP strategies [00:20]

ASIN repurchases audience strategy [01:53]

Cross purchases                      [06:20]

ASIN retargeting        [09:00]

Competitor retargeting           [12:16]

Pixel targeting [16:55]

Hashed Audience        [19:52]

Competitor Purchases [22:51]

In-market and Lifestyle targeting       [25:24] 

Sponsored Display is a self-serviced ad type, while DSP is a managed-service ad type by either Amazon or third-party agencies.

Bottom of the funnel strategies with Sponsored Display ads includes retargeting, display views, and product targeting strategies.

Sponsored Display audience targeting is a more top-of-funnel strategy that can be stacked on your already working bottom-of-the-funnel strategies to help you get the most out of your Sponsored Display ads.

Top of funnel strategies are not ACoS, and ROAS focused. Instead, sellers should focus on traffic-oriented metrics like detailed page views, sessions, click-throughs, and new-to-brand metrics.  

The top benefit to Sponsored Display ads over DSP is instant accessibility to every brand registered seller.

DSP allows for an extensive range of customization, not allowed with Sponsored Display ads, and can be accessible to sellers through third-party agencies like Ad Advance.

Overview 

With all the new features Amazon has rolled out with Sponsored Display ads, one of the major questions we get asked is, “Do we still need DSP?” Sponsored Display vs. DSP ads continues to be a trending topic with so many similarities yet vast differences between the two. In this episode, Matt and Joe talk through the two ad types and highlight the best strategies and metrics to track for each.

Episode Highlights 

Sponsored Display New Features       [0:53]

Key metrics to monitor                       [03:51]

Differences and Overlapping between Sponsored Display and DSP             [07:31]

Audience Targeting: How to implement Sponsored Display categories          [16:16]

In this episode, Joe Shelerud and Victor Dwyer, an Entrepreneur, Marketer, Amazon & Advertising specialist, talk through tips and strategies for Amazon Sponsored Display ads, how sellers can drive external traffic to their listings, iOS privacy updates, and Amazon attribution. 

As the Amazon world becomes more competitive, sellers must stay in the know and find more ways to get ahead. Driving external traffic allows you to gain additional customers, build organic rankings, and much more. You'll also get the inside scoop on external traffic and how to use these findings to optimize all advertising campaigns to boost overall sales. 

Episode Highlights:  

Introduction to Victor Dwyer [00:59]  

Overview on Sponsored Display Ads  [01:38]  

What is Amazon Attribution  [05:30]  

How privacy changes on iOS affects conversion tracking and Amazon attribution [08:32] 

How Amazon sellers can generate external traffic to their listings  [19:22] 

 In this episode, we shared a brief overview of what is Amazon DSP and a few key things you can take advantage of.

In this episode, Joe and Amazon advertising industry leader Destaney Wishon speak about the many creative opportunities within Seller Central, and the newest, shiniest features of Amazon DSP that allow you to put your best branding foot forward.  

Between SB Video ads, store spotlight ads, brand defense strategies and best practices to secure the best organic ranking, we’ll share tips on how to stand out from the crowd and make a lasting impact with your Amazon advertising. 

Connect with Destaney:  

Website: https://betterams.com/ 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIyDW8XfX2gTWFHK_otUwAw 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon/ 

Episode Highlights

Destaney Wishon Intro [00:47]

Why Establish a Brand on Amazon? [01:40]

Sponsored Brands Video [02:50]

Sponsored Brands Store Spotlight [09:16]

Custom Image – Headline Search Ads [11:46]

Brand Defense [13:21]

Conversion Rate & Ranking [20:20]

Amazon DSP Opportunities [23:12]

• It’s a huge advantage for sellers to get on top of Amazon’s new features early. Not only will you beat the competition but getting in early usually results in favorable CPCs and/or winning top placements. 
• Amazon continues to add new targeting methods, new ways to bid, and new ways to reach different audiences. 
• New features always provide better ways for sellers and advertisers to gain more control of their ads. 
• Sellers and advertisers should always assess how a new feature will impact strategy and audience. 
• Not all of Amazon’s new features will be widely communicated. Sellers need to pay close attention to their ad consoles for updates. 
• If you don’t see incredible results right out of the gate, don’t give up on the new feature. Always test these new features repeatedly since Amazon is continuously fine-tuning these tools. 

Overview

Ever wonder what the future of Amazon advertising looks like? If you’re a seller or an advertiser from 2014, you know first-hand that the Amazon advertising we know today is nothing like a few years ago or even a few months ago. The advertising world is ever-changing, and we wanted to do a walk-through of Amazon’s journey in this episode, to help highlight some of the ways we can take advantage of them. 

Episode Highlights

Recap of Ad Advance Story  [01:40] 

Key thing sellers must do as Amazon evolves  [04:16] 

Where was Amazon Advertising in 2014  [05:11] 

The next major ad type after Sponsored Products  [06:56] 

How Sponsored Product Ads developed  [09:02] 

The Evolution of Sponsored Display  [13:39] 

Developments with Sponsored Brands  [17:17] 

Amazon Sponsored Products is definitely the goldmine to any advertising strategy. While there are many different ways Sponsored ad campaigns can be structured, there are a few key strategies we encourage sellers to implement to get the most out of their ads. In this episode, both Joe and Steven Pope (MyAmazonGuy) dived into these strategies, including auto campaigns and whether everyone should run them, keyword isolation, and takeaways for new product launches. 

Steven even shared how a product he launched recently selling up to 1000 units per month with ads one day got banned from Amazon advertising. He expressed how this was quite frustrating after trying numerous methods, including entirely redoing the copy on his listing, closing his listing, and talking with Amazon daily. During the period where he's no longer able to run ads, almost overnight, his sales were cut in half, and then over time, he lost ranking from being the number 1 seller for his main keyword to ranking at #20.  

Whether you're a new or seasoned seller, covering the most important aspects of advertising is proven to be crucial and essential to your journey and success on Amazon. 

Connect with Steven Pope  

Website: https://myamazonguy.com/  

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClUSEsDS2sdgNJfCcCM_5Uw 

Episode Highlights  

Intro..  

Should you run auto campaigns? [03:36]  

Breakdown on keyword isolation in Sponsored Products Campaign [06:10]  

Keyword Research for new product launches [09:59]  

Steven’s story on how PPC helps with SEO/Ranking [11:29]  

Steven’s approach to launching new products [19:59]  

Amazon advertising for new product launches and how to measure success? [23:01]  

With each step you take as an Amazon seller it’s important to continually measure how things are going and analyzing what are the next best steps moving forward. While there are many reports that Amazon provides, in this episode we highlighted the key ones we think every seller should continually review to grow their business.

Business Reports

Business Reports is a great place to start as it presents an overall overview of your accounts. Business report is a combination of all advertising reports and organic metrics report. Some of the key reports offered include:

1. Sales and Traffic Report – This is a more general report which can be used to see what’s happening in your account by day, month and year. We recommend drilling down in the report to review metrics that affect sales: traffic, conversion rate and average order value.
2. Detail Sales and Traffic Report by ASIN -Even though this report is segmented by ASIN there are three different categories within the report: general sales and traffic, by parent and then by child. We recommend pulling the general sales and traffic report which provides a breakdown of overall metrics by product and therefor allows you to assess your individual product performance. 

Search Term Report

The search term report aggregates to the ad group level and highlights the search terms people are using when they click on your ads and the metrics behind these terms. This provides a great opportunity to find new long-tail keywords or other keywords that you can use to further optimize your campaigns.

The search term report also provides details on product targets. As a seller, if you’d like to know what Amazon is showing your ads for and what’s working well, then the search term report is a great spot to gather this information.

Key thing with this report is to continuously analyze your search terms to find top-performing terms or product targets.

Bulk Files

Bulk Files is another great spot to gather detailed information. This report can be downloaded for long date ranges and can be screened with or without impressions and include or exclude placement data. This file offers insight to every campaign, ad group and ad within all your campaigns (Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and some Sponsored Display data).

Main Pros:

• Bulk files can be edited to adjust bids, status of keywords or product targets, ad group etc. This can then be re-uploaded to reflect the changes you want to make in your campaigns.
• Bulk Files provides placement data and performance by placements (top of search, product page and rest of search). With this data, these fields can be easily evaluated and edited to make changes to your campaigns.

Brand Analytics Report

Brand Analytics Reports are available to any seller who is brand registered. These include:

• Amazon Search Terms report
• Demographics Report
• Item Comparison Report
• Alternate Purchase Report
• Market Basket Report
• Repeat Purchase Behavior Report

 Of all the brand analytics our favorite include:

1. Amazon Search Terms Report: These tend to be different from the reports you can pull in the ad console and provides an aggregate amount of data across Amazon. Within this report there is a search box where you can drill down to your specific category using different keyword combinations relevant to your products to identify top competition and product targets to brand conquest along with gaining insights on popular search terms you’re missing out on.
2. Market Basket Analysis, Item Comparison and Alternative Purchase Reports – these offer great information for product targets. Check out Episode 13 for more details on these reports. 

• Advertising is an essential piece to every new product launch strategy.
• Amazon PPC can help new products with discoverability or compliment any other promotional strategies set up outside of Amazon.
• We recommend sellers be focused on sales versus minimum ad spend.
• New product launches weigh heavily on conversion rates.
• When setting up manual campaigns, utilize high converting placement settings and fixed bids while targeting your 5-20 most relevant keywords.
• If you have video assets, use Sponsored Brands video ads to gain impressions and maximize conversions.
• Auto campaigns also play an important role. It helps to help discover new search terms, which filters into the longer-term advertising strategy.

Overview

As Amazon becomes more competitive, advertising becomes more critical for new product launches. One of the common questions we get is, "What are the specifics actions one should take when advertising for a new product?" In this episode, we share our reasoning behind running ads for your new products, how advertising can help you become retail-ready, and the things you need for your launch campaigns.

What You Need to Know Before Launching Your Campaigns

1. Be Sales Focused - At this stage, we advise sellers not to be too focused on generating the lowest ACoS possible, but instead be sales-driven and focus on getting the Amazon fly wheel spinning. This means that you will be required to spend a little more to obtain sales and build social proof for your product since you're just starting out.
2. Have High-Quality Listings – Having high-quality listings can really help your conversion rate. This is one of the key factors to reducing wasted spend.
3. Keep Product Competitively Priced – When starting out, it's always a good practice to keep your products priced competitively for your category. We recommend utilizing coupons so that your products are priced lower than your competition for those initial purchases. A note of caution – be sure not to lower your price too significantly if you are in a category with a high potential for repeat purchases. It may be off putting to your customers if they go back to buy your products and find the price point to be noticeably higher.

Amazon Advertising Strategy for New Product Launches

Sponsored Products Auto Campaigns

Set up auto campaigns to help with developing your long-term strategy and discovering new search terms. While your auto campaigns won't be your main focus for launch campaigns, they help find new search terms to help build out your overall campaign funnel structure.

Sponsored Products Manual Campaigns

These campaigns will be your focus to help improve your overall ranking and drive initial sales. Here are the key things we recommend when setting up manual campaigns:

1. Keyword Targets: Allocate most of your ad spend on the first 5-20 most relevant keywords to your product. Avoid spreading your ad spend across a large number of keywords obtained from a tool, and instead focus on the ones that are most relevant to your product and will likely convert. This eliminates a lot of wasted spend and can help nail down a strategy for bidding and placement adjustments.
2. Placements: For launch campaigns, we recommend placing the ads in the highest converting placements. In our previous episodes, we mentioned that top of search placement tends to convert twice as well as other placements. For new products, utilizing top of search placement will allow you to reach your highest intent audience.
3. Bidding: We recommend using fixed bids for launch campaigns. Our main reason for using fixed bids is because we want to prevent Amazon from dynamically reducing your bids when they don't feel like your ads will convert. Since you're just starting out, fixed bids will allow you better control when you want your ads to show up. Don’t be afraid to be semi-aggressive with your bids since this shows Amazon that you're willing to pay substantially more for high-converting placements like top of search, where you'll get the highest conversion rate.

Sponsored Brands

Another Ad type that can be useful for product launches would be Sponsored Brands Video Ads. While there won't be as many placements due to bids being more competitive, with these ads having a conversion rate of 14%-15%, just a few impressions can really make a difference. Videos are helpful with differentiating your product and highlighting your product's unique attributes. Showcasing your new product with this ad can lead to substantial initial sales which will build up reviews, and social proof, which goes a long way.

Episode Highlights

How to utilize Amazon PPC when launching new products [01:52]

Should you advertise with zero reviews? [02:47]

What to consider before advertising your new product on Amazon [05:26]

Alternatives to advertising new products on Amazon [07:46]

Key things to focus on for launch campaigns [11:09]

Sponsored Brands for new product launch [17:05]

Should you utilize auto campaigns when launching new products? [19:41]

• Conquesting ad strategy is an offensive advertising strategy used on Amazon to target your competitors' brand or product using either keywords or product targets. 
• Conquesting is a viable strategy if you have an advantage over your competitor.
• One way to select which competitors to target is through product research and development by knowing your main competitors.
• Another way to select your targets is by reviewing your auto campaigns and going through your search term report to identify ASINs leading to conversions.
• Brand analytics reports highlight solid substitutes and product compliments which is another great way to identify which competitors to target.
• Conquesting strategies can be implemented in all Sponsored Ads types.
• Other niche strategies to increase market share include catch-all campaigns and seeding campaigns.
• Catch-all campaigns can be used for auto and manual campaigns where all of your products are consolidated in a single ad group at a very low bid.
• Seeding campaigns are specific to manual campaigns where your products are grouped into different ad groups using keyword targeting to increase market share and discover new search terms at a low bid.

Overview

Outside of offering good quality, high value, and lowering your price, how do you really beat your competitors on Amazon and increase your market share? In this episode, we share our approach to offensive advertising strategies to help target your competitors and increase your market share. We also talk through other niche strategies like implementing catch-all and seeding campaigns to help capture more sales and find new targets.

Target Your Competitors on Amazon using Conquesting

To put it simply: Conquesting is when you target your competitors' brands, keywords, or products to expand your market share. Conquesting can be done by targeting specific keywords that allow you to show up on the search results page, or by product targets which show your ads on product detail pages. Top of search is a great way to target your competitors' brand because it is one of the highest converting placements overall. 

How To Find Competitors To Target? 

1. Product Research and Development: During the product research and development stage, you should have already identified your top competitors, assessed their products, and made fair comparisons with the product you are launching. Once you've got an advantage, whether this is price, reviews, or overall better listing quality, then you are in a great position to start utilizing conquesting strategies. 
2. Auto Campaigns (search term reports): Auto campaigns highlight different products that Amazon determines you should target. You can pull the ASINs that are converting into sales from your search term report and use those to help determine which competitors make the most sense.
3. Brand Analytics Report: This report breaks out potential ASINs or products to conquest into three different report types (market basket analysis, item comparison, and alternate purchase). This shows which products people are frequently comparing to your products. By analyzing the products' relevancy, you'll be able to identify which competitors you should target to increase market share. 

Other Niche Strategies Discussed

Catch-All Campaigns: This is where you set up auto and manual campaigns with super low bids. These campaigns include the full product catalog consolidated into a single ad group. We find that these campaigns, even at low bids, can still pick up volume and some clicks.

Seeding Campaigns: Seeding campaigns are very similar to catch-all campaigns where you're using low bids. The difference is that you are grouping products together in a manual campaign using a single keyword relevant to your products, typically with phrase match at super low bids. This is another excellent way to increase market share but also to discover new search terms that shoppers are using to find your products.

Episode Highlights:

What is a conquesting ad strategy on Amazon? [01:37]

Ways to implement conquesting [02:37]

How to figure out which competitors to target? [06:10]

Implementing conquesting with all Sponsored Ad types [10:51]

Smaller Niche Strategies: Catch-All Campaigns [15:47]

Smaller Niche Strategies: Seeding Campaigns [21:03]

• If you're not protecting your brand, you could be losing a lot of market share, brand presence, or your customer's lifetime value to a competitor.
• Setting up branded defense campaigns tends to generate a lower cost per click since they have a good conversion rate.
• Bid aggressively on your brand defense campaigns to make sure you own top of search placements.
• Make it as easy as possible for shoppers to find the product they're looking for with your keyword mix.
• If your product has various models, we suggest breaking out each model into its own ad group and use attribute-specific branded keywords for each ad group.
• ASIN defense strategy works for all sponsored ad types. Own as many placements as possible.
• ASIN defense can help to make your listings more cohesive which helps build brand awareness.
• ASIN defense is also a great strategy to push competition off your product pages.

Overview: 

Why advertise for your brand when people are already searching for it?

Here's a quick to-do: search on Amazon for your branded keywords and see if any competitors are showing up higher than your branded products. If yes, then competitors are more than likely stealing your sales.

In this episode, we dive into Amazon advertising defense strategies like Brand Defense and ASIN Defense to help you maximize sales and defend your brand from the competition.

Defensive Amazon Advertising Strategies: Brand Defense Campaigns: 

Amazon is a very brand-agnostic platform where each listing looks the same. Trying to build out a strong brand presence can be really hard to do. To take things to the next level, even after building out your brand, you'll need to defend it from competitors trying to steal your sales.

Setting up brand defense campaigns is a great way to protect your brand. Top of search and Sponsored Brands are the first few placements on Amazon that generate a massive amount of clicks and conversions. If you are not in these placements when shoppers search for your brand, you will lose market share.

 When implementing brand defense strategies:

1. Launch brand defense campaigns with Sponsored Ads. Group all your products in an ad group (except products with different models).
2. Utilize fixed bids in a high top of search setting to fully own top placements.
3. Avoid using branded search broad match keywords for Sponsored Brands. Use phrase match keywords instead.

Defensive Amazon Advertising Strategies - ASIN Defense: 

ASIN defense is a cross-promotion strategy where you're using product targeting to advertise your products on product pages. One of the key benefits of ASIN defense is to fully own ad placements on your product page. This means when a shopper clicks on your listing, they'll see your full catalog of products. This helps to push competitors off your product page, therefore increasing click-throughs to your products.

 Prerequisites to using ASIN defense strategy:

1. Multiple products with multiple parent listings.
2. Multiple products within the same category.

ASIN defense strategy gives shoppers fewer opportunities to go to your competitors' pages and allows sellers to own their product pages with their ads.

Episode Highlights: 

Should you protect your brand on Amazon? [01:32]

How to implement brand defense strategies? [05:10]

What is ASIN Defense strategy? [09:54]

Benefits to using ASIN Defense strategy [10:19]

Things you need before using ASIN defense strategy [11:19]

Tactics when using ASIN defense [13:20]

How to implement ASIN defense strategy [15:15]

• There are two different ad types with Sponsored Display: Product targeting and Audience targeting.
• All brand registered sellers should utilize Sponsored Display product targeting.
• Sponsored Display product targeting ads are shown on Amazon product pages.
• Sponsored Display audience targeting ads are shown off Amazon and predominantly offsite remarketing.
• If you are using Sponsored Product product targeting, utilize all the data from this ad type and create Sponsored Display product targeting ads.
• Two main strategies we recommend with Sponsored Display product targeting are cross-promoting your own products and conquesting similar products.
• Utilize taglines with Sponsored Display ads to boost engagements and conversion rates.
• We recommend using ASINs and purchases retargeting when setting up Sponsored Display audience targeting campaigns.

Overview: 

Sponsored Display ads is another ad type in the Sponsored Ads suite. These ads are available to sellers who are brand registered and targets shoppers both on and off Amazon. In this episode, we talk through Sponsored Display ads, where these show up and strategies you can implement with Sponsored Display ad campaigns.

Type of Sponsored Display Ads: 

There are two types of Sponsored Display ads: Sponsored Display Product targeting Ads and Sponsored Display audience targeting ads. Both ad types are powerful in targeting shoppers across different stages of the buying journey and can help improve sales drastically.

Amazon Sponsored Display Product Targeting: 

These ad placements are all on Amazon. These are very similar to Sponsored Products product targeting. Instead, ads show up in unique places like below the buy box or below the description on competitors' pages. These ads are charged on a cost per click basis, similar to Sponsored Products. If you currently have Sponsored Products product targeting campaigns running, you should utilize all the data from those campaigns to set up Sponsored Display product targeting ads.

Amazon Sponsored Display Audience Targeting: 

Like how it sounds, audience targeting targets a specific audience segmented into a couple of categories. Some common strategies sellers utilize with audience targeting include ASIN retargeting, similar product retargeting, and category audience targeting, where sellers can segregate the audience by searches and purchases.

Of all the strategies mentioned, we recommend using ASIN retargeting and purchases audience targeting depending on your price. We find that purchases audience targeting converts very well for consumables or products with repeat purchases. While as a high-level approach, we've discovered ASIN retargeting to do the best among the different types.

*Note that this ad type is one of the lower performing ones and the one we recommend to sellers who have some money left over in their advertising budget. On the other hand, this ad type can be very beneficial to help build out your brand long term and help bring in customers over the long run.

Episode Highlights: 

What is Sponsored Display ads? [01:16]

Sponsored Display product targeting [02:01]

How does Sponsored Display product targeting ads perform? [06:12]

Sponsored Display audience targeting [10:04]

When to use Sponsored Display audience targeting [14:34]

Key differences between Sponsored Display and DSP [18:14]

• Sponsored Brands are cost-per-click ads available to sellers who are brand registered.
• In comparison to Sponsored Product ads, Sponsored Brands are an awesome way to introduce your brand to your audience.
• Sponsored Brand ads in addition to your storefront expand your brand presence and build connections with your customers.
• Sponsored Brand ads show up at the top of the search results page, within the search results page, e.g., video ads and on the product listing page.
• For landing pages, you can choose either a product collection, a product landing page, or a storefront landing page.
• Storefront landing pages tend to have a higher conversion than the other types of landing pages.
• Use winning keywords and product targets from your Sponsored Products campaigns to set up your Sponsored Brand campaigns.
• Sponsored Brand video ads tend to grab your audience's attention quicker and have excellent conversion rates.

Overview: 

There are many perks outside of protecting your brand when you are brand registered on Amazon. Once brand registered, you have access to advanced advertising options like Sponsored Brand Ads. Sponsored Brands, previously referred to as HSA (headline search ads), are cost-per-click ads that display your products, along with creative assets unique to your brand identity, including your logo, a custom tagline, or even a video.

In this episode, you’ll learn the key benefits of using Sponsored Brand ads. We also cover Sponsored Brands targeting types, landing pages, an overview of Sponsored Brand video ads, and a quick tip on how you can take advantage of Sponsored Brands placement data.

Where Do Sponsored Brand Ads Appear on Amazon? 

Sponsored Brand Ads appear in the following placements:

1. Top of Search in Search Results: This would be the banner ads showcased at the very top of the search results above listings. These display up to three products and a custom copy.
2. Sponsored Brand Impressions in Search Results: These would be video ads that show up at the bottom of the search results page.
3. Product Page Listings: Sponsored Brand ads can also show up on a product page listing as display ads with basic images in the form of "brands similar to this product" or "similar item to consider."

Sponsored Brands Best Practices: 

Take advantage of the creative element with Sponsored Brands, they can help you really stand out from your competition and highlight the features that make your products different. This includes the ability to use a custom image with your Sponsored Brand creatives, which not only can expand the size of the ad but also provides an opportunity for you to highlight unique features of your product either by using product image close-ups or lifestyle images.

One other best practice we recommend for Sponsored Brands is checking your search term reports and reviewing your top converting keywords for the products you're going to be advertising. Then, align your copy with those keywords. Consistency between your copy and the customer search terms can really help form connections with your customers, thus increasing the likelihood of a click-through or conversion.

Sponsored Brands Video on Amazon: 

It can be tough to establish a solid brand presence on Amazon with how standardized everything is. Sponsored Brand video ads are one of our favorite ways to set your product or your brand apart. Sponsored Brand videos allow sellers to showcase how their products are being used. With this preview experience, the conversion rate tends to be really high.

Sponsored Brand videos also take up a large real estate on the search results page, which allows sellers to grab shoppers' attention and share a ton of information without them clicking on the ad.

Episode Highlights: 

Sponsored Brands placement types [01:39]

The key benefit with using Sponsored Brand ads [03:02]

Sponsored Brand ad types [05:57]

Sponsored brands best practices [11:33]

Sponsored brands targeting types [14:33]

Why use Sponsored Brand video ads? [17:34]

Key things to highlight with sponsored brand videos [20:48]

Quick tip on how to use your Sponsored Brands placement data [24:22]

• There are three types of Amazon Sponsored Ads placement settings: top of search, product page, and rest of search.
• Top of search ad placement tends to perform the best with the highest average conversion rate and click-through rate.
• Top of search placements perform the best because they are positioned to attract customers with a higher buying intent.
• Top of search placement ads come at a higher cost, so always weigh the conversion rate benefit against the cost premium to generate TOS placements.
• Placement adjustments are used more as a balancing mechanism to adjust for the difference in performance between the placements.
• We use the underlying bids for the keyword or product targets to set our actual ACoS targets for each placement.
• We caution using dynamic up and down bidding with larger placement adjustment settings since these can quickly result in a higher cost per click and largely wasted spend.
• If you do not have any placement adjustments, boost your adjustment for top of search since these are proven to perform the best.
• If your product pages are performing better than rest of search, we recommend applying an adjustment to this placement.

Overview

Amazon has done an excellent job with its ads in making them look just like other product listings. It is quite amazing that about half of shoppers on Amazon cannot identify the difference between an advertised listing and an organic listing. So, where do Sponsored Product ads appear on Amazon? In this episode we talk about placements and where these show up for Amazon shoppers. We’ll also dive into placement adjustments, performance, and actions you can take to best utilize these features.

Where do Sponsored Ads appear on Amazon?

1. Top of Search: Top of Search (TOS) is a placement type where the ads are seen at the top of the #1 search results page after searching for a product on Amazon. Among all the placement types, top of search tends to perform the best. We’ve seen a very high conversion rate, at an average of 19%, and click-through rate average of 3%.
2. Product Pages: This placement type is where ads are typically shown in a carousel at the bottom of a product listing.
3. Rest of Search: This placement type is for ads that aren’t shown at the top of the search results page but rather further down the page as you scroll.

*Note that the average conversion rate and click-through rate for product pages and rest of search placements are 9% and 1%, respectively.

Amazon Sponsored Ads Bidding by Placement

Amazon allows us to escalate bids within a campaign for both top of search and product page placements by using bidding by placement. This means we can take the bids we set for keywords and boost them to achieve certain placements. It’s important to note that we can only adjust bids for two (TOS and product page) out of the three placements within the campaign manager.

We tend to not use dynamic up and down bidding because we can lose control of the max bid, resulting in a very high cost per click, leading to a lot of wasted spend. Instead, we prefer using fixed bids or dynamic down bidding since this allows us to have a cap on our keyword or product target bid.

Strategy Tip for Ranking Campaigns

The key ranking factors for products are sales velocity and conversion rate. To boost your product ranking, launch a campaign with very specific parameters - high top of search setting & fixed bidding strategies. These results in a high amount of top of search impressions, which can drive more sales velocity at high conversion rates, which will increase overall product ranking.

Episode Highlights:

Sponsored Products Placement Types         [01:50]

Bidding by placements          [03:00]

How to balance ACoS across different placement types     [07:32]

Interesting feature with bidding by placement        [10:03]

How dynamic bidding up and down can affect your placement settings     [ 13:58]

Why do top of search placements convert better?   [16:26]

When and how to use top of search placements      [19:25]

Key takeaways                      [22:51]

• Focus less on ACoS and more on driving traffic and sales to your listings in the launch phase.
• Calculate the gross margins for more established products and then test different ACoS levels to see which works best for you.
• Bids are the primary method to controlling your ACoS.
• Increase bids to drive more traffic for top-performing keywords or product targets that are converting well regarding ACoS/ROAS.
• For poor performers, decrease bids.
• Fixed bidding can be great for new product launches to establish continual traffic to your listings without Amazon’s interference.
• Transition to a dynamic down bidding strategy for more established products where you’ll have control on the bidding while having some protection on low relevancy keywords.

Overview

What is a good ACoS? What is the best bidding strategy to use? How does it all tie together to reach goals and objectives? In this episode, we will give you some things to consider to help set realistic ACoS targets. We’ll also break down different bidding strategies and talk through how you can implement these strategies to achieve your goals.

What is a Good ACoS on Amazon?

What one considers to be a “good ACoS” on Amazon is going to be very different from one seller to the next. It’s largely dependent on your margin, repeat purchases, the category you're in, and the objectives for your product. While ACoS is an important metric, it could be pretty misleading if other factors aren't considered when analyzing your ad performance.

Factors to consider when setting ACoS targets: 

1. Gross Margin: This is a great benchmark to start with. A good ACoS can either be below or above your gross margin depending on your overall product objective. E.g., An ACoS above your gross margin can be a good thing if it leads to more exposure, thus increasing your sales volume and revenue. 
2. Product Objective: Your product objective is based on the phase you're at with your products. If you're just launching a product, take a different approach with your ads than if you've got very established products selling on Amazon. In the launch phase, the goal will be to increase traffic to your listings. This will result in a higher spend, thus increasing ACoS. At this point, we recommend not being too focused on ACoS since the high initial sales volume can provide profitable long-term returns. While for more established products, calculate your gross margin and then target and test different ACoS levels to see which works best regarding sales volume vs. margins.
3. Category Competitiveness: The competitiveness of your product category is an essential factor to consider. This is driven by two major factors: the margins that you can achieve from your products and your customers' lifetime value. E.g., If your product has great margins and lifetime value, then having a higher ACoS goal may be worth the trade off. 

Types of Bidding Strategies and Which Should You Use?

There are three types of bidding strategies: dynamic down, dynamic up and down, and fixed bidding.

Dynamic Down: In the early days this was the default bid type. This type of bid will bid down to the value specified. Scenario: If you set a $1 for your bid, it will bid up to $1. However, Amazon can decrease the bid that goes to the auction if they don’t think your product will convert well into a sale. When to use it: Use dynamic down bidding for more established products. It allows you to be aggressive while minimizing wasted spend dynamically.

Dynamic Up and Down: This type of bidding allows Amazon to either increase or decrease your bid for clicks that can convert. Scenario: If you set a $1 bid, Amazon can increase your bid above the threshold if they determine the product will convert. Simultaneously, the bid can also decrease if Amazon determines that the product is not likely to convert. When to use it: This bidding type gives Amazon a lot more control and can help maximize sales opportunities for high converting keywords, product targets or ad groups.

Fixed Bidding: With this type of bidding, Amazon will not alter your bids. Instead, bids will be set. Scenario: If you set a $1 bid, then no matter the likelihood of a sale the bid that goes to auction will be $1. When to use it: Use this strategy for new product launches. This strategy gives sellers the most control to max bids without Amazon decreasing bids due to little or no sales history. 

Episode Highlights:

• What is a good ACoS for your campaigns [01:31]
• Setting ACoS targets for new product launches [03:31]
• Setting ACoS targets for more established products [08:48]
• Setting Budgets and Budget Types [10:33]
• Difference between profitability on ad sales vs. profits on an account level [15:18]
• Types of bidding strategies [17:27]
• When and how to implement different bidding strategies [19:56]

• A change in sales is impacted either by traffic, conversion rate, or average order value (AOV).
• If you want to increase traffic, then advertising is a great way to do this.
• In advertising, traffic can be increased by increasing your bids, utilizing top of search placement settings, introducing more keywords, and increasing keyword relevancy.
• If you're looking to increase conversion rate, a great way to do this is by maximizing your placement and relevancy, along with adding negatives strategically.
• To increase your average order value, a great way to do this is by emphasizing products with higher price points.
• To decrease ACoS, reduce your cost per click (CPC) or work to increase your conversion rate.

Overview

Sales and ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale) are the two major metrics a seller focuses on when advertising on Amazon. As PPC experts, we get asked this question a lot, “How can I increase ad sales while lowering my ACoS?” To put it simply, it all comes down to understanding the factors that may influence sales along with those that may impact ACoS. For perfectly optimized campaigns, there’s always a trade-off between the two priorities: increasing sales and decreasing ACoS. In this episode we walk you through what those trade-offs are and the key metrics you should be focusing on whether your priority is to increase sales or decrease ACoS.

How To Increase Sales on Amazon

Whether your focus is on increasing overall sales or advertising sales, it’s crucial to always keep a close eye on your traffic, conversion rate, and average order value (AOV) since these factors can truly impact your sales.

Traffic: From an overall sales perspective, this would be the total sessions that go to your product listing pages. From an advertising perspective, this ties into your impressions and clicks that are directing shoppers to your product. One great way to improve traffic to your listing is by increasing your advertising efforts, which ultimately brings more shoppers to your listings, resulting in more sales.

Conversion Rate: Conversion rate is calculated by measuring orders/clicks. On the advertising side is really a good measure of shoppers' purchase intent. Note that many factors can impact conversion rates like keyword relevancy, product targeting relevancy, placements, and reviews. If looking to increase sales via conversion rate, assessing one of these factors is a great way to turn around sales for your products.

Average Order Value: This is the average dollar amount spent each time a customer orders one of your products. If a customer clicks on your ad, and it results in a higher average order value, then you will see a better return on your overall ad performance and sales. A great way to increase sales via AOV is by emphasizing products with higher price points.

Advertising Cost of Sale (ACoS)

ACoS Formula:

Ad Spend (# of clicks x cost per click) / Ad Sales ( # of clicks x AOV x conversion rate)

Ways To Decrease Your ACoS

1. Improving conversion rate by investing in your listing quality.
2. Improving conversion rate by utilizing ad placements.
3. Improving conversion rate by increasing high relevancy keywords.
4. Decreasing your cost per click (CPC) to a reasonable point where you'll still achieve a profitable ACoS.
5. Increasing your AOV.

You'll notice that conversion rate is a standard metric between both sales and ACoS. When optimizing ads, focus on maximizing your conversion rates.

There will always be a constant trade-off with Amazon ads between sales and ACoS as these are both competing priorities. Keep testing to find the right level for your product category, individual product, and overall profitability targets – it’ll be worth it!

Episode Highlights:

• Three key pieces that factor into sales, and how these all tie together [01:44]
• How to drive more sales by increasing traffic [07:21]
• How to drive more sales by increasing your conversion rate [08:56]
• How to drive more sales by increasing your average order value [11:28]
• What is ACoS and factors that can affect your ACoS [14:28]
• How to decrease your ACoS on Amazon [16:24]
• Trade-offs that come with decreasing ACoS and increasing sales [21:58]
• The importance of conversion rate when selling on Amazon [23:33]

• Negative keywords or negative product targets can be used to boost campaign performance. 
• In auto campaigns since bid control is not an option, we use negatives to control campaign performance.
• In manual campaigns, our first approach is always to reduce bids to help control performance. However, we recommend using negatives to weed out any search terms or products that you absolutely do not want to show up in your broad, phrase, and category targeting campaigns.
• For exact campaigns and ASIN product targeting, we recommend pausing poor performers instead of using negatives. This allows us to quickly identify why these keywords or product targets are not generating impressions.
• Negative keywords or negative product targets can be used for keyword isolation between campaigns.
• We recommend setting top performing keywords as negatives in the auto campaigns when moving these keywords from auto campaigns to manual campaigns.
• When moving keywords between manual campaigns (phrase--> exact), we recommend doing the opposite to avoid losing keyword relevancy data.  

Overview

Negative keywords and product targets have the power to transform unprofitable Amazon campaigns into profitable ones. By adequately utilizing negative keywords and product targets, Amazon sellers can improve efficiency, ranking, ad placement, and overall sales for their products. In this episode, we cover negative keywords, product targets, and how to use them.

Amazon Ad Optimization: Using Negatives To Improve Campaign Performance

In the Amazon world, a few negatives can definitely lead to a positive. Negatives can be used to produce positive performance with Amazon ad campaigns by allowing us to eliminate unproductive spend and focus on productive spend. This allocation allows for more of your ad spend to move to keywords and product targets that produce sales.

• Adding Negatives In Automatic Campaigns:

We suggest being proactive with adding negatives to your auto campaigns by reviewing your search term report and finding search terms or themes that do not produce impressions. These search terms or product targets should be added as negative exact since this is the only controlled way to manage poor performers in your auto campaigns.

• Adding Negatives in Manual Campaigns - Our general rule of thumb: For manual campaigns, as keywords are filtered down the funnel, we suggest adjusting bids first before adding negatives. With this method, we can decrease spend on a keyword to a point where it's starting to produce a solid return.
• Adding Negatives in Manual Campaigns– Broad match, phrase match and category targeting: For broad match, phrase match, and product targeting, we suggest using specific negatives to weed out any versions of your search terms that may hurt your campaign's performance. For negative phrases, be sure to manually review these phrases since there's a fine line between optimizing for performance and completely shutting down a campaign.
• Adding Negatives in Manual Campaigns – Exact match and ASIN category targeting: For exact match keywords or ASIN product targeting campaigns with keywords or product targets that aren't performing well, pause those poor performers instead of setting negatives. This allows you to better understand why these keywords or product targets aren't performing well or generating impressions.

Using Negatives for Keyword Isolation 

When moving keywords down the funnel between our auto campaigns to manual campaigns, if we have a keyword that converts and is a strong performer, we set these keywords as a negative phrase or exact in the auto campaigns. This forces Amazon to show our keyword in the manual campaign, where we have a lot more control than in the auto campaign.

So, what about moving keywords down the funnel in manual campaigns? Well, we tend to do the opposite. E.g., when moving a keyword from phrase to exact campaigns, we won't set these keywords as negatives in the phrase campaigns since this can really affect the keyword's history and relevancy. This, in return, may drive up the cost per click or drastically lower impressions for that keyword. In a perfect world, we would do full isolation. However, due to Amazon's relevancy factor, we instead allow Amazon to decide how best to show these keywords where we'll further adjust bids to improve overall performance. 

Episode Highlights:

What are negative keywords and product targets and what controls do we have? [01:47]

How to set negatives to improve overall performance? [05:10]

Client story: how not using negatives properly can wipe out impressions [07:57]

When to use negative exact in your campaigns? [09:43]

When to not use negatives in your campaigns? [13:16]

Negative product targets and why use them [14:37]

Setting negatives: Keyword isolation between Auto campaigns and Manual campaigns [17:10]

Setting Negatives between campaigns in manual campaigns [18:47]

Podcast Summary [21:22]

How do you find keywords and product targets for your campaigns? What do you need to do to populate highly relevant and top converting keywords for new or existing products?

Finding the right keywords or products to target is critical to the success of your campaigns.

In this episode, we walk through strategies to build on your funnel structure to automatically feed keywords and product targets downstream.

Keyword Research for Amazon Sponsored Products - New Product Launch: 

As the owner of your products, you have valuable insights and detailed information about the specific attributes of your products. These characteristics will act as the perfect jumping off point to help you put together your list of keywords.

So, where do you start? We recommend taking a targeted approach by focusing only on your high relevant keywords. These high relevant keywords will come from questions that you ask yourself, like “If I was searching for this product, how would I find it?" Then, make a list of 10-20 top keywords you would use when answering that question.

Another way to source keywords for your new products is by taking a close look at the listing title. These words are the likely the most relevant to your products and you'll be able to segment product attributes and use those as keywords. When you focus on the title of your listings and source keywords from the title, customer searches will be closely related to your listing, triggering an impression and increasing the odds of a click-through and conversion.

How to research keywords and product targets for existing products on Amazon: 

1. Search Term Reports: These reports show real customer insights and behaviors that can help find unique keywords and new targeting strategies as your campaigns mature. We recommend taking these keywords and filtering them further along the campaign funnel to your manual campaigns, where you'll have a lot more control to improve performance.
2. External Tools: External tools can provide you with a broad net of keywords. That being said, make sure you take a minute to sift through your findings to make sure they're relevant. One tool we utilize quite often is Helium 10, specifically their ASIN grabber feature. This tool is very useful in finding new product targets to add to your manual campaigns.
3. Brand Analytics Search Terms Report: This search term report showcases a list of the highest search terms on Amazon. Using this list, you can take a seed keyword related to your product and type that in the report, where you'll be able to filter through a bunch of variations of that term that shoppers are searching for.
4. Brand Analytics Market Basket Report: These reports show the products that are frequently purchased with your product. As such, this can be a great way to find new complementary product targets to add to your campaigns.
5. Brand Analytics Item Comparison Report and Alternative Purchase Reports: These reports also produce very useful data that you can filter to find great substitute product targets.
6. Utilizing Suggestions Directly from Amazon: Product target suggestions from Amazon are based on a lot of data and algorithms. With Amazon owning the biggest data set and continually improving its algorithms, these suggestions can be a great way to discover different product targets.
7. Category targeting with modified attributes: When category targets are added to your manual campaigns, you'll typically see mixed results across your catalog. One way to make sure those category targets perform is to use price modifiers, such as including a price point higher than your product, which will typically fine-tune your results.

Key Takeaways: 

1. Finding the right keywords or products to target is critical to the success of your campaigns.
2. For new products, start with utilizing highly relevant keywords found the product title as well as your own in-depth understanding of the unique product attributes.
3. Ask yourself the questions your audience is asking themselves, such as “What am I looking for?” Write down your answers and add the most relevant words to your list.
4. Existing products have data to accompany them. Utilize external resources and reports to help do some of the heavy lifting to discover product targets and unique keywords that could perform well for your products.

Episode Highlights: 

Key goals to focus on when setting up campaigns for new product launches [ 02:42]

Keyword sourcing for new product launch [05:15]

Strategies to implement after sourcing keywords for new products [07:29]

Keyword and Product Targeting Research for seasoned sellers- power of the search term report [09:18]

Keyword and Product Targeting Research for seasoned sellers – Amazon search query [12:11]

Product Targeting Research for seasoned sellers – brand analytics reports [13:25]

Amazon auto-fill for keyword research [14:50]

Targeting Alternative languages in different markets [15:47]

Our take on using external tools for keyword research [17:49]

Other ways to research product targets [18:52]

Previously, we covered Amazon Sponsored products and how important it is to set up a funnel structure. We discussed starting with your discovery campaigns to find high performing targets and moving those downstream to exact campaigns where you'll have a lot more control. In this episode, we dive deeper into why you may not need a funnel structure for every single manual campaign but instead have a funnel structure for each of your products. We also touched on strategies you can implement with standalone manual campaigns like brand defense, ASIN defense, and ranking campaigns to help take your business to the next level.

Key Takeaways: 

• If you are just getting started, you should focus on building your funnel structure first.
• Brand defense campaigns are manual campaigns where you add keywords related to your brand name. These don't require keywords to be filtered from auto campaigns but include your branded keywords to help protect your brand.
• We recommend utilizing manual campaigns for a specific targeted purpose like grouping products of the same color or size to boost conversion rates.
• We recommend working on setting up other manual campaigns like ASIN defense and ranking campaigns for established sellers. This can overall drive more ad sales, visibility, and profits.

Grouping Your Products: 

Looking at your general funnel structure, we recommend grouping variants together and finding common search terms for all those variants. If you have specific terms, whether by various sizes, colors, types, etc., we recommend structuring them separately into other manual campaigns. This will allow you to hit those specific targets using specific keywords and bidding to boost conversion.

Strategies To Implement With Standalone Manual Campaigns: 

1. Brand Defense Campaign Strategy: A brand defense campaign is where you add keywords related to your brand name to your campaigns. This is a standalone manual campaign since having an auto campaign won't help because they're not able to only pick your branded keywords. Taking this manual approach defends your brand from being conquested by other sellers. This allows you to retain more of your market share by kicking off competitors leeching sales from your brand.
2. Product Variations: We recommend grouping products with specific terms, whether by size, e.g., size 30 jeans or by color, e.g., white hats, in standalone manual campaigns. In these campaigns, you can add keywords that are only related to that product variation, which allows you to have more control, thus increasing conversion rates.
3. ASIN Defense Campaigns: ASIN defense is a product targeting only campaign where you target your own products in that campaign. It requires a standalone manual campaign since you'll select your own ASINs to showcase your other substitutes or other products in your line that they can be bundled with.
4. Ranking Campaigns: Ranking campaigns are used to group high relevant keywords to boost organic ranking. These campaigns require manual standalone campaigns where you'll utilize placements like top-of-search and aggressive bidding to generate more impressions and conversions. Over time as these campaigns perform, they will help to boost your organic rankings.

Episode Highlights: 

• Rehash of Sponsored Products manual campaign funnel structure [01:46]
• Funnel structure by ad type [04:06]
• Running manual campaigns without auto campaigns [05:59]
• Brand defense campaigns [06:25]
• Seller story: utilizing manual campaigns for specific product variations [07:02]
• ASIN defense campaigns [14:18]
• Ranking campaigns [17:52]

Amazon Sponsored Products manual campaigns can provide a lot of great results that drive high volume and conversions if you have a great campaign funnel structure. In this episode, we’ll talk through how manual campaigns are structured and the importance of developing a solid campaign funnel structure, the typical controls in manual campaigns, and how to utilize the different targeting types.

Key Takeaways: 

• The key components of a manual campaign are keyword targeting and product targeting.
• When setting up new manual campaigns, make sure they’re structured to have separate ad groups for broad match, phrase match, exact match, and product targeting. This helps with visibility, control, and organization of the account.
• If you already have manual campaigns running, make sure you’re continually moving your high performing keywords or product targets downstream.
• When funneling from auto campaigns to manual campaigns, it is best practice to have consistent naming conventions to better organize your campaigns.
• We recommend focusing on longer-tail keywords for broad match keywords since these typically convert better and target customers with higher intent.
• If you use product targeting category targeting, we recommend having filters to prevent them from getting really broad and wasting ad spend.

Structuring Amazon Sponsored Ads Manual Campaigns: 

We typically structure our manual campaigns in a series. First, we’ll use our auto campaigns for discovery. We move converting keywords and product targets down the funnel into the manual campaigns from our auto campaigns. Within our manual campaigns, we have ad groups for keywords (separated according to match type) and ad groups for product targets.

One of the key pieces of structuring your campaigns is using consistent naming conventions. This helps to make sure that the same products you’re funneling from your auto campaigns are grouped together in your manual campaigns. This way, your campaigns can stay organized and well structured.

In summary, our typical manual campaign for a product or product group would potentially have four ad groups: broad match, phrase match, exact match, and product targeting ad groups. We find that this segmentation helps with control, visibility, and organization of your account.

Ways to Optimize your Amazon Manual Campaigns: 

• We recommend moving your high converting keywords from auto campaigns to phrase match in your manual campaigns. Making this move to phrase instead of exact match allows us to pick up more permutations that can perform just as well as the keywords in auto campaigns or even better.
• As you move keywords from auto campaigns to manual phrase, it’s important to set them as negative phrase in the auto campaigns. This forces impressions to show up in the manual phrase campaigns, where we have more control.
• Utilizing both long-tail keywords and short tail keywords to maximize your campaign performance.
• Segment your brand defense keyword into a separate campaign. This increases visibility, budget control, and overall performance.
• When using category targeting, make sure to use filters. Otherwise, it could get really broad, resulting in wasted ad spend.

Episode Highlights: 

Benefits of Manual campaigns [01:13]

How to structure your manual campaigns [02:29]

How to group keyword match types in manual campaigns [05:50]

Moving from auto to manual campaigns [06:49]

Long-tail vs. short-tail keywords and when to use them [12:23]

A common mistake with new sellers setting up manual campaigns [14:31]

How to use broad match keyword targeting in manual campaigns [16:26]

Branded vs. Non-branded keywords [18:40]

Deep dive into Product targeting in manual campaigns [21:17]

If you've been advertising on Amazon, you're probably very familiar with Sponsored Products automatic campaigns. If you're just getting into advertising, you should become familiar with auto campaigns since these can be a real goldmine to your business. In this episode, we dive deep into how auto campaigns work, the different targeting types, and ways you can control your auto campaign performance to make sure you're not leaving any sales on the table or wasting ad spend.

Key Takeaways: 

• Everyone should be running auto campaigns
• Make sure you have separate bids for each target type: close match, loose match, substitutes, and compliments.
• Typically a close match targeting type performs better, so we recommend bidding higher for this type.
• Utilize catch-all campaigns, especially if you have a lot of products. The goal is to set a low bid and group all the products together, even if they're entirely unrelated.
• If you're just launching a product or focusing on the discovery side, then the high-bid low-bid auto campaign strategy is a great way to start.

How Sponsored Ads Auto Campaigns work: 

Sponsored ads auto campaigns work by using Amazon's algorithm to find keywords and ASINs that are relevant to your products. It is an excellent source for new product discovery, product development/improvement, listing optimization, and understanding consumer behavior. We're constantly surprised by how people search for different products, and auto campaigns let us capture that.

Sponsored Ads auto campaigns targeting types: 

• Close match: Target keywords closely related to the product.
• Loose match: Target keywords loosely related to the product
• Substitutes: Target products that are direct substitutes or products that are comparable to the advertised product.
• Compliments: Target products that would be bundled items or items frequently purchased with the advertised product.

Ways to control Sponsored Ads auto campaign performance: 

Firstly, to improve your Sponsored Ads auto campaigns' control and hit performance targets, we highly suggest separating your bids for each targeting type. This helps you find out what's most likely to convert into a sale after the click. We find that close match drives higher conversion, so we focus on boosting bids for that targeting type to drive incremental volume. This allows us to cut back bids for the other targeting types that won't convert as well.

Secondly, to control Sponsored Ads auto campaign performance is by using negative keywords and negative product targeting. You can obtain negative keywords by pulling your search term report and analyzing for poor converting keywords, then negate them. This way, those keywords will no longer trigger impressions, thus cutting wasted spend and encouraging productive spend. We walked through this in much more detail in the episode, so tune in for the details.

Using auto campaigns to feed manual campaigns: 

Using auto campaigns to feed manual campaigns is the beginning of the keyword funnel process. We recommend starting with catch-all auto campaigns since these are really easy to create with all your products grouped in a single ad group with a low bid. This generates impressions and clicks at a low CPC while producing low ACoS or RoAS.

Lastly, another way to feed manual campaigns is by using the bid-high bid-low strategy. It is best practice to set up two of the same auto campaigns with one bidding high and the other bidding low. This helps you generate targets that you wouldn't discover in other campaigns due to the high bid, which can be funneled into your manual campaigns for better control.

Episode Highlights: 

Intro: [00:32]

Should I run Amazon auto campaigns? [02:14]

How do Sponsored Ads auto campaigns work? [02:43]

Sponsored Ads auto campaigns targeting types [04:56]

Seller story: Using auto campaigns for keyword/target discovery [10:18]

Leveraging auto campaigns to combat shopping behaviors [11:43]

Steps to figuring out what works well for you [13:03]

Ways you can control auto campaigns performance [16:22]

Using auto campaigns to feed manual campaigns: [19:32]

Joe and Matt, owners of an Amazon advertising agency called Ad Advance, are obsessed over finding the most effective Amazon advertising strategies and building a system around them. In this episode, we provide a brief overview of the different Amazon advertising types and how you can use them, success stories about how sellers who took their businesses to the next level, and what to expect from our podcast series.

Key Takeaways

• Sponsored Product ads generate the vast majority of impressions, so this is a great place to start for new sellers or businesses entering the Amazon space looking to launch auto and manual campaigns.
• Once you’re brand registered, you should start running Sponsored Brand ads, especially Sponsored Brand Video ads. These ads take up a lot of real estate in search results and allow you to showcase your product in a unique light.
• Sponsored Display ads are an interesting ad type with two different forms. They provide sellers with the opportunity to re-expose their products to shoppers off Amazon or on-site while viewing similar or complementary products.

Understanding the Different Amazon Advertising Types

Sponsored Products: Sponsored Product ads generate a lot of impressions in Amazon Advertising. They appear in search results, at top of search (the first row), and in the rest of the search results. They are also sprinkled in with organic listings, appear on product pages, and most notably below the product description. On the product page, there is a carousel of related Sponsored Products that could be viable alternatives.

Sponsored Brands: After Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands would be the next ad type to launch once you’re brand registered. The classic Sponsored Brand placement would be the banner ad that typically showcases three products at the top of search results. With Sponsored Brands, you can also showcase a storefront and get more creative. There is a tagline for the copy, and you can even include custom images, lifestyle images, or product images. Our favorite brand ad type would be Sponsored Brands Video, because it takes up a large space in search results and achieves excellent conversion rates. People are naturally drawn to videos, so if you have the assets, don’t forget to use them!

Sponsored Display Ads: There are two forms of display ads: audience targeting and product targeting. Audience targeting is off-site remarketing, where you are targeting an audience off Amazon, while product targeting is shown on Amazon on similar or complementary product pages. This ad type has good visual and is usually not as competitive as other ad types.

Amazon Demand-side Platform (DSP): This ad type is like Sponsored Display with its off-site remarketing but has more control where you can specify audience attributes such as demographics, geographic data, and much more. Once your product or group of products have 5,000 plus sessions per month, DSP is a great ad type to add to your arsenal.

Episode Highlights:

• Founder’s Story [01:28]
• Our Approach [03:00]
• Seller Success Story #1: We got fired twice! [07:00]
• Seller Success Story #2: From brick and mortar to ecommerce. [11:04]
• What to Expect on Our Podcast [11:55]
• Amazon Sponsored Products Overview [13:18]
• Amazon Sponsored Brands Overview [15:07]
• Amazon Sponsored Display Overview [16:14]
• Amazon Demand-Side Program (DSP) [18:27]