In May of this year, Amazon launched Sponsored Brands Video (SBV). It’s compatible with desktop and mobile shopping views and is visible within search results and product detail pages.
Sponsored Brands video content is revolutionizing the way business owners advertise on Amazon because it doesn’t require sellers to commit to extravagant ad budgets. Additionally, with this new feature, any seller that is brand registered on Amazon can create a video ad campaign.
But, because Sponsored Brand video ads are still in beta, it’s a bit unclear to many sellers how to best capitalize on Amazon’s newest advertising feature.
In this blog, we’ll go over the differences between Sponsored Brands video and Amazon Video ads.
The Difference Between SBV and AVA
One very important thing to distinguish right off the bat is that Sponsored Brands Video is VERY different than Amazon Video Ads (AVAs).
In the Amazon Advertising announcement of SBV, Amazon doesn’t quite stress the differences between the two. Here’s an in-depth look at how SBV and AVA differ.
Amazon Video Ads (AVA)
Introduced in 2017, AVA was only available to advertisers with managed Amazon Advertising accounts. Before, qualifying to use this feature, advertisers needed to enroll in the Video in Search program. Also, it offered users services like custom-built landing pages and search ads.
Much like SBV, Amazon Video Ads are videos that are auto-played upon viewing in search results or a product detail page. Both forms of video ads are soundless until interacted with. Amazon Advertising recommends the videos be between 15-30 seconds each.
AVA offers a “cross-screen package,” meaning ads are also shown outside of the Amazon shopping platform. It could appear to advertise on other Amazon-owned platforms such as IMDb, Prime Video, and more. Because of the cross-screen capability of AVAs, users have to commit to approximately 5-figures per month in ad spend.
AVA also can provide customer and performance-based analytics. This allows brand owners to tie Amazon video ads into their own marketing goals.
So although AVAs may not necessarily convert into sales, Amazon Video Ads is a great option for large corporations. That’s because their main goal may be to increase brand awareness rather than make direct sales, as the ad may appear in a variety of places.
Amazon Sponsored Brands Video (SBV)
Sponsored Brands Video is the newest feature of Amazon Advertising. It does not require any special applications or account approvals other than brand registry. Any seller who is brand registered may create a campaign with SBV within Seller Central.
Additionally, unlike AVA, Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Ads don’t have a minimum sellers have to commit in terms of ad spend. Because of this, video ads are more widely available to smaller businesses with tighter cost-per-click budgets.
As we mentioned above, SBV ads are visible in search results and on product detail pages both in-app and in the browser. Because it’s specific to the Amazon shopping platform, it may also have a better conversion rate.
This is because SBV inherently targets customers with buying intent. Whereas, with AVA, ads can interrupt viewers who have no intention of interacting with advertised products.
Unlike traditional Amazon PPC ads, SBV’s new ad videos can still run as advertisements even if the select product is out of stock.
How Amazon Sponsored Brand Videos Work
Sellers can upload a Sponsored Brands Video directly through Seller Central.
Currently, Sponsored brand videos may not be visible because it still in beta. If this is the case, you may be able to request access through seller support as long as you’re brand registered with Amazon.
With Sponsored Brand Video, you can only connect one product to one video campaign (no child variations). The visible video ad in search or on product pages will lead directly to the product page linked. Because of this, our Amazon experts recommend sellers choose the best selling variation of a product to advertise and link it to its direct ASIN to help the customer avoid any confusion.
Once Sellers have submitted their videos for approval, ads will be visible between competitor items in search results or on competitor product detail pages. When a customer interacts with the ad, they have the option to unmute the video content or link to the specified product page.
Anatomy of An Sponsored Brands Video Ad
Because Sponsored Brands video ads exclusively appear on Amazon, the anatomy of the ad unit looks a little different.
It has three components:
- Product details
- Video content
- Mute toggle button
The Takeaway
As you’ve probably noted, Sponsored brand video options are a great new way to promote visibility and direct traffic to your listings.
Now that you can spot the differences between AVA and SBV, you can take steps to create impression-boosting ads! To learn more about the best practices for creating an SBV, check out our blog on Creative Requirements & Tips for Making A Sponsored Brands Video Ad.
Happy Optimizing!
