How do you like to improve your Amazon Ad effectiveness? Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads, which are a type of Amazon Advertising that features six to forty-five-second product videos, are a great way to increase sales. Video ads are incredibly effective for modern advertisers, as they can increase product sales by nearly 35%.

However, there is a learning curve when it comes to creating exceptional video ads. Therefore, advertisers are typically apprehensive about creating video ad campaigns because they perceive it too challenging or expensive. Yet, the truth is that a modern advertiser looking to increase product sales cannot afford to ignore Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads.

This post will discuss everything you must know about this ad type and provide five best practices while creating Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads. Let’s begin with the basics about this compelling yet underused ad type.

What are Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads?

Chances are you watch videos, either on YouTube, through Netflix, or more traditionally on your television. After all, people who access the internet watch about 3.25 billion hours of video every month on YouTube. So, you’re likely already aware of what videos are.

As you watch videos on most platforms, there are usually ad breaks where business owners showcase sponsored products. They use the power of video to highlight their products or services and pay companies to display these advertisements to viewers.

Amazon also promotes video content from businesses enrolled in the Amazon Brand Management program. They call their video ads Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads, which appear on search results pages.

The basics are easy to grasp. When an Amazon customer searches for a specific product or brand on the eCommerce marketplace, some search results will feature Amazon-sponsored brand video ads. Advertisers can target exact keywords or search terms where they want the video ads to appear.

Simple enough? Now that you understand the basics of video ads let’s discuss some essential details that advertisers should know about this ad type.

What should advertisers know about Amazon Advertising Sponsored Brand Videos?

There are several ad types on Amazon, including Sponsored Product Ads, Sponsored Display Ads, and Sponsored Brand Ads.

Most Amazon sellers can create Sponsored Product Ads, but only sellers with current enrollment in the Amazon Brand Registry program can create Sponsored Brand Video ads. Here’s how Sponsored Brand Video Ads work.

How do they work?

Pay-per-click ads (including video ads) on Amazon mostly work the same way. An advertiser bids on keywords and search queries. When a customer uses those words or terms while searching on Amazon, the advertiser’s video ads appear on search result pages.

Typically, these videos do not appear in the top spot on Amazon searches and instead are near the middle of the search result pages. As prospective customers scroll through the search result page, they’ll see the Amazon Advertising Sponsored Brand Video. Once the video player is 50% on-screen, it automatically begins playing without audio.

These video ads always showcase a specific product. Customers can also see product information at a glance, such as the product’s name, star rating, and price. The customer can unmute the audio or read the on-screen text (if the advertiser includes closed captions.) One reason videos are so effective is that it captures the audience’s attention on a primarily static product result page.

What are the video specs and content guidelines?

Amazon sets specific guidelines for the video ad content that advertisers upload. Most of their policies are standard, such as using 720p, 1280p, or 4k video resolutions. The main questions that video advertisers have will be about video duration and letterboxing or pillar-boxing. Let’s address those guidelines now.

• What is the ideal duration of Amazon Brand Video Ads?

Your Amazon Advertising Sponsored Brand Video can be up to 45 seconds in length. However, Amazon highly recommends uploading a video that’s between 6 seconds and 30 seconds long.

• Should advertisers letterbox, pillar-box, or have blank frames in their videos?

Do not have black bars on any side of your video content. Your video should also not include blank or black frames at the beginning or end of the video content. If you ignore these suggestions, Amazon will reject your ads.

If you want to know more about the video and audio specifications, here’s an image explaining the video settings you should use:

Why does Amazon reject some video ads?

Before discussing the five best practices for making Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads, there’s one other thing to discuss. It’s no fun spending hours filming, editing, and uploading a video ad for Amazon to reject it later because the advertisement doesn’t meet guidelines.

Fortunately, there’s a way to prevent ad rejections. Besides following the guidelines about video duration and black frames from the section above, you should also:

• Provide a smooth ending transition.

Videos that end abruptly or incomplete videos can’t help your user experience. Amazon will reject video ads that feel incomplete.

• Forgo the Amazon branding elements.

Sorry friend, but unless you’re advertising a product for Amazon, you should leave Amazon branding out of your video content. Passing off as an official Amazon-promoted product is a no-no.

• Skip the customer reviews.

Do you want to bring attention to a specific customer review? Your Amazon Advertising Sponsored Brand Video isn’t the place. Adding a customer review to your video ad will end with ad rejection.

• Record audio in the correct language.

Are you planning to run your ad campaign in the US? If so, record your audio in English. What if you’re creating an ad campaign to display on Amazon.jp? In this case, you’ll want to record in Japanese. Always record in the language of the locality where you’re showing the ad to avoid video rejections.

So that’s all for the technical details. Now, let’s discuss best practices for advertisers looking to create profit-driving ad campaigns.

Here are some Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads best practices for sellers

What are the best practices for running Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads? If you don’t remember any of these points after reading the article, remember the first one.

1: Define your audience & set goals

How you highlight your product in an Amazon Advertising Sponsored Brand Video depends on your customer’s preferences.

But before you ever determine those preferences, you first must identify your audience. After you know the detailed customer profile of the individual you want to buy the product you’re advertising, it’s time for the next step.

After defining your audience, you can set goals that you want your video ad to achieve. How many views and click-throughs should you receive on your products? How many buy your product after seeing your ads?

Set your goals and use them as metrics moving forward. As you progress as an Amazon Advertiser, you should review results and create new video ad campaigns to maximize your results.

2: Focus on your ideal customer

Every product shot and line of dialog should focus on your customers’ needs. Your video content should highlight the benefits of buying your product above all else.

The key to this is focusing on a single customer profile and highlighting how they specifically benefit from using your products.

Great ad campaigns focus on two things. First, ads discuss the problems prospects have. Second, the ads highlight the results users receive by solving said issues with the advertiser’s products.

3: Try video storytelling

If you want to learn more about video storytelling, the concept of using story elements like characters and plot to engage your audience is a great place to start.

With all that said, it’s essential not just to include these elements in your Amazon Ad campaign but to use them to tell a complete story.

Great video ad campaigns combine all the storytelling elements to engage potential customers with your product and brand.

Consider it a challenge to create an exceptional storytelling ad that lasts 30 seconds or less.

4: Include brand elements & closed captions

You should always include your brand logo and product name in the video ad. Use your brand colors, text, and other elements that matter to your customers.

Another critical visual element to add is closed captioning. CC assists people in two ways.

First, they’ll pause to read the text as your video auto-plays on the screen. Second, it helps those who are hard of hearing learn more about your products.

5: Use a strong call to action at the conclusion

Include a specific call to action as well. Make it memorable and compelling to achieve the best sales results.

In addition to including text about your business or website for customers to click on, make sure it’s clear what actions users need to take after watching the video ad.

In conclusion, should you use Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads?

Amazon Sponsored Brand Video Ads are a great way to promote your products and increase sales. The video ads appear on search result pages, which means customers will only see your ads when they actively seek out information about your product.

If you want to make your advertising more effective, you shouldn’t ignore the power of Amazon Advertising Sponsored Brand Video. Do you need help creating more effective video ad campaigns? If so, we can help!

Sunken Stone is a top-tier, performance-based Amazon marketing agency that provides turnkey management services for growing eCommerce brands. Tap into our PPC services to take your ads to the next level today!

Frequently asked questions

Where are sponsored brand video ads shown?

Sponsored brand video ads appear on search results pages. They also link directly to your brand’s product listings.

What is a sponsored brand ad?

A sponsored brand ad is an advertisement type for brands that are in the Brand Registry program. As a brand on Amazon, there are several unique types of ads that you can create that other non-brands cannot.

Where do sponsored ads appear on Amazon?

Sponsored ads appear on the sidebar, search results, product listings, and even on Amazon. As an advertiser, you can select ad placement by bidding on specific locations.

Which advertising is used by Amazon company?

Amazon promotes its ads through a network of advertising partners. Amazon Advertisers can also use this partner network to promote their goods. When customers search for items on Amazon but do not buy, they might see the ads again on other non-Amazon sites.