How Can a PPC Quick Start Guide Sponsored Brands Help Your Amazon Brand?

Gohar alvi
24 hours ago
16 min read

Building visibility and credibility on Amazon requires more than just listing great products; it needs smart advertising. Fortunately, Sponsored Brands campaigns put your logo, headline, and multiple products in front of shoppers right at the top of search results. This PPC Quick Start Guide Sponsored Brands will walk you through everything you need to know to launch these powerful ads: from eligibility and ad formats to budgeting, creative tips, and optimization strategies. By the end, you’ll understand how to capture attention, drive traffic to your Brand Store or products, and measure success.

What Are Amazon Sponsored Brands Ads?

Sponsored Brands ads are Amazon’s banner-style PPC ads designed to spotlight your brand on the Amazon platform. Each Sponsored Brands ad includes your custom logo, a headline, and multiple product images. They appear in prime locations, above and within search results and on product pages, on both desktop and mobile. When shoppers click a Sponsored Brands ad, they can be taken to a Brand Store, a product detail page, or a custom landing page. In short, Sponsored Brands help customers discover your brand as they shop on Amazon.

Brand Discovery: Sponsored Brands promote brand awareness by showing your branding and products together. They complement your individual Sponsored Products ads by shifting the focus from single items to your overall brand story.
Ad Placement: These ads typically show at the top of search results or in prominent page locations (e.g., category pages or product detail pages), ensuring high visibility.
Engagement: Because they feature lifestyle or video creative and custom copy, Sponsored Brands tend to draw attention. In fact, ads with custom brand images can get 50% higher CTR and branded search lift compared to plain product-image ads.

Amazon’s own advertising platform notes that Sponsored Brands “use highly engaging and prominently placed ads” to grow brand presence. In practical terms, these are the ads that let customers learn about your brand before clicking, making them ideal for awareness, new-customer acquisition, and showcasing collections of products on Amazon.

Why Use Sponsored Brands Ads?

Sponsored Brands are a strategic way to reach customers at multiple stages of the buying journey. Unlike ads that focus on one product, these ads reinforce your brand identity and invite shoppers to explore more. Key benefits include:

1) Top-of-Search Placement

By appearing above the standard search results, your ad becomes one of the first things customers see. This premium placement can significantly increase visibility.

2) Multi-Product Showcase

You can feature 3–4 products in one Sponsored Brands ad. This lets you highlight your best-selling SKUs or cross-promote complementary items, effectively showing a mini storefront within the search results.

3) Brand Storytelling

With a custom headline and logo, you convey your brand’s unique value (e.g., “Eco-Friendly Home Goods, Sustainable & Stylish”). This helps shoppers recognize and remember your brand. According to Amazon, combining branded creative with images can boost click-through rates and brand recall.

4) Flexible Targeting

Sponsored Brands support keyword targeting, product/category targeting, and even category-only targeting. This flexibility means you can reach both high-intent buyers (via keyword bids) and shoppers browsing relevant categories or similar products.

5) First-Time Customer Acquisition

Amazon’s new-to-brand (NTB) feature allows you to bid more aggressively for first-time buyers. Using this, you can specifically target and convert shoppers who have never purchased your brand before.

6) Integrated Brand Funnel

These ads work in concert with other ad types. For example, you might use Sponsored Products to capture buyers ready to purchase, while Sponsored Brands build awareness and lead them into your Brand Store for discovery.

By adding Sponsored Brands to your advertising mix, you create multiple touchpoints. Advertisers report that combining Sponsored Brands with Sponsored Products and Sponsored Display yields stronger overall performance than running any one type alone. In summary, Sponsored Brands drive brand lift, generate traffic to your store or listings, and can influence purchase decisions both on and off Amazon.

Who Can Use Sponsored Brands Ads?

Not every seller can run Sponsored Brands campaigns. Amazon restricts these ads to Brand-Registered sellers, vendors, and agencies. The requirements are:

1) Brand Registry

You must be enrolled in Amazon’s Brand Registry (or be a Brand Registry vendor). This ensures only verified brands can showcase their logos and names in ads.

2) Amazon Seller/Vendor Account

You need a professional seller account (or vendor account) with active listings. Hobbyists or occasional resellers without Brand Registry cannot use Sponsored Brands.

If you meet these criteria, you get full access to Sponsored Brands features: multiple creatives (images or video), Brand Store landing pages, advanced reports, and new features like NTB bidding. As Amazon points out, once you’re brand-registered, you unlock these “highly engaging” ads.

Feature	Sponsored Brands	Eligibility
Ad Content	Custom logo, headline, up to 3–4 products (or video)	Requires Brand Registry (sellers/vendors/agencies)
Placements	Top of search, search sidebars, product pages	Same as above
Landing Page Options	Brand Store, product page, custom landing page	Brand Store must have 3+ sub-pages for Store Spotlight
Targeting Options	Keywords, Product, Category (and NTB audience)	Only Brand-registered brands
Campaign Goals	Awareness (impressions), Acquisition (NTB), Visits	Set up during campaign creation

How to Launch Your First Sponsored Brands Campaign

Setting up a Sponsored Brands campaign is straightforward with Amazon’s self-service console. Here’s a step-by-step PPC quick start outline:

1) Campaign Creation

Log in to Amazon Ads (advertising.amazon.com) and click “Create campaign” → “Sponsored Brands”. Amazon will prompt you to select a campaign goal. You have three options: Brand Awareness (maximize impressions), New Customer Acquisition, or Store Visits. Choose the one that matches your objective (awareness, expansion, or store engagement). Give the campaign a descriptive name and set your campaign dates (you can run it continuously and pause later).

2) Budget & Settings

Enter your daily budget. (Amazon recommends at least ~$10/day to keep ads showing consistently, but you can adjust higher based on your scale.) Decide if you want to use cost controls or smart bidding strategies. Initially, you might use Amazon’s suggested bids or a conservative manual bid for each keyword or target.

3) Creative Setup

Upload your brand assets. Select the ad format (Product Collection, Store Spotlight, or Video). For images, upload your high-quality brand logo (1200×300 px typically) and lifestyle images or product images (1920×1080 px or greater for videos). Write an engaging headline (e.g., “Premium Organic Skincare by XYZ Brand”). For Product Collection ads, pick the 3–4 ASINs you want to feature; for Store Spotlight, select the 3 store sub-pages; for video, upload your ad video (6–45s, 1080p, with captions recommended).

4) Landing Page Selection

Choose where clicks will go. Options include a specific Brand Store page, an individual product detail page, or a custom landing page URL if you have one. For maximum brand impact, most advertisers drive clicks to their Brand Store or relevant product pages.

how to launch your first sponsored brands campaign

5) Targeting & Bidding

Choose your targeting method:

Keyword Targeting: Enter relevant keywords (broad, phrase, or exact match) where you want your ad to appear. Start with Amazon’s recommended bid or set your own. Amazon will suggest high-impact keywords based on your products.
Product/Category Targeting: Alternatively, pick specific competitor products or entire categories to show your ad alongside them. This helps with “category discovery” or competitive conquest.
Audience Targeting (NTB): If your goal is new-customer acquisition, consider enabling New-to-Brand targeting and bid adjustments. This feature increases bids for shoppers who haven’t bought from your brand in 12+ months. (You can also run multiple campaigns with different targeting types, one for broad reach with keywords, another focusing on competitor products, etc.)

6) Review & Launch

Double-check all settings, creatives, and budgets. Submit the campaign. Amazon will review it (usually within 72 hours). Once approved, your ads go live and start entering auctions.

After launch, monitor basic metrics (impressions, clicks, spend) in the Advertising Console. Let the campaign run at least 1–2 weeks before making major changes, giving Amazon’s algorithm time to optimize delivery. Then, regularly review performance. Adjust bids on keywords that are underperforming or remove irrelevant targets. Consider adding new keywords based on search term reports. Continuously optimize, for example, increase bids on top-performing keywords, pause ones with high spend and no sales, and tweak headlines or imagery if CTR is low.

Targeting and Bidding Strategies

Effective targeting is the heart of Sponsored Brands' success. With the right strategy, you ensure your brand reaches the most relevant shoppers at the right time. Here are key tactics:

1) Keyword Targeting

Build campaigns around 20–30 high-intent keywords rather than hundreds. Use a mix of broad, phrase, and exact matches to balance reach and precision. For example, include long-tail search terms specific to your niche. Be sure to add negative keywords to filter out irrelevant searches (e.g., add “+men” to “+men shoes” to avoid unrelated queries). Periodically review your Search Terms report to find which keywords drive clicks and sales, then bid up on those. Our Amazon PPC Strategy guide also emphasizes focusing on fewer, high-converting terms for better ROI.

2) Product/Category Targeting

Use this to capture shoppers browsing related categories or products. For example, target your competitors’ ASINs to “conquer” customers. You can even refine by brand, price range, or ratings. Amazon suggests combining category and product targets for broader coverage. This is especially useful for reaching customers who don’t search by your keywords but are in the right category.

3) New-to-Brand (NTB) Bidding

Turn on NTB bidding adjustments if expanding your customer base is a goal. With NTB, you can increase bids (e.g. +50% or +100%) specifically for customers who have never purchased your brand. As one case study notes, applying higher NTB bids typically boosts new-customer acquisition. This is especially powerful during product launches or market-entry campaigns.

4) Automatic vs. Manual

Some advertisers start with an Automatic (or Discovery) campaign to let Amazon find high-performing terms, then use those insights in Manual campaigns for precise control. For new brands, this can surface keywords you hadn’t considered. For established brands, you might skip straight to manual campaigns with pre-researched terms plus some broad coverage for expansion.

5) Budgeting Tips

There’s no minimum spend for Sponsored Brands, but budget allocation matters. Many experts recommend dedicating 20–30% of your total Amazon advertising budget to Sponsored Brands when you’re starting. New brands leaning on customer acquisition might even allocate more to Sponsored Brands to build awareness, while mature brands can split their budget between Brands and Products. Always set a daily budget high enough that your ads aren’t throttled out of the auction. Amazon’s guidance is to start with at least \$10/day per campaign and then scale as you gather data and ROI.

6) Bidding Models

Sponsored Brands offers two bid models, CPC (cost-per-click) and vCPM (cost per 1000 impressions). Most sellers use CPC, setting a maximum bid for clicks on each target. Amazon provides suggested bids based on competition; use those as a starting point, but adjust them based on performance. If brand awareness is the priority and you want lots of impressions (e.g, for NTB audiences), consider CPM bidding to pay for views instead of clicks.

Regularly monitor the ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale) and adjust bids to hit your targets. For example, if a keyword’s ACoS climbs above your profit margin, pause or lower its bid. If a keyword is converting well with ACoS below the target, increase its bid to gain more share. Smart bidding and budget automation (available in Amazon Ads) can also help manage bids across campaigns with similar goals, leveraging machine learning to meet cost targets.

Creative Best Practices for Sponsored Brands

Your visuals and copy make a big difference in Sponsored Brands performance. Follow these guidelines to make your ads stand out:

1) High-Quality Images

Use crisp, professional images. For static ads, pick a clean hero image that resonates with your brand story. Lifestyle shots (product in use) often perform well because they show context. The Amazon guide suggests using lifestyle or contextual imagery alongside product shots. If you upload your own brand image (rather than the default product images), make sure it’s engaging and free of clutter or excessive text.

2) Clear Value Proposition

Your ad headline (and any text on the image) should communicate your unique selling point. For example: “All-Natural Dog Food, 50% Off First Order” or “Award-Winning Skincare with Organic Ingredients.” Keep the message concise. The goal is to immediately tell shoppers why your brand is different.

3) Brand Consistency

Use your brand colors and logo consistently. This builds recognition. Since multiple ads (Sponsored Products, Brands, Display) may run together, a cohesive visual identity helps customers instantly know the ads are from your brand.

4) Video Tips

If using video ads, keep them short and focused. Amazon recommends 15–30 seconds for maximum engagement (though videos can be 6–45 seconds). Start with a strong hook in the first few seconds. Use subtitles or clear on-screen text because videos autoplay muted in Amazon feeds. Demonstrate the product in action or tell a quick story. For example, a home gadget could show a messy kitchen transforming clean one with the product. Always include a clear call-to-action (e.g., “Shop now on Amazon!”) by the end.

5) Use Amazon’s Creative Tools

Take advantage of Amazon Ads’ new AI tools. For instance, Amazon’s image generator can create on-brand lifestyle images in seconds. There are also headline suggestion tools in the console that can give you policy-compliant phrasing ideas. These can save time and inspire creativity.

Lastly, A/B test your creatives. You can run different headlines or images in separate campaigns to see which resonates more. Over time, refine your creative assets based on what drives higher click-through and conversion rates.

creative best practices for sponsored brands

Measuring Success: Key Metrics and Reporting

Tracking the right metrics tells you how well your Sponsored Brands ads are performing and where to optimize. Key metrics to monitor include:

1) Impressions & Reach

Number of times your ads are shown (impressions) and unique shoppers who saw them (reach). These measure visibility. A rise in impressions generally means your ads are competitive in auctions.

2) Clicks and Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR = Clicks ÷ Impressions. This shows how compelling your ad is. A low CTR suggests you may need a better headline or image. (Industry average CTR on Amazon is around 0.5%, so aim higher than that.)

3) Cost Per Click (CPC) and Spend

Average CPC indicates how much each click costs. Keep an eye on your daily and total spend to stay within budget.

4) ACoS & ROAS

Advertising Cost of Sale (ACoS) = (Ad Spend ÷ Ad Sales)×100%. It tells you what percentage of sales you spent on ads. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) is the inverse (Ad Sales ÷ Ad Spend). These show profitability. Compare them to your target. For example, if your product margin is 30%, aim for ACoS below 30%. Over time, improve ACoS by optimizing bids and pausing poor performers.

5) New-to-Brand (NTB) Conversions

If you use NTB targeting, monitor the percentage of conversions from first-time buyers. A higher NTB% means you’re successfully acquiring new customers. This metric is unique to Amazon ads and is key to customer acquisition goals.

6) View-Through Conversions

Sponsored Brands, like Display, can have conversions from people who saw but didn’t click on your ad. Checking view-through conversions (within Amazon’s attribution window) can capture that branding impact. It tells you how many shoppers ended up buying after seeing your ad, even if they didn’t click right away.

Amazon’s advertising dashboard provides detailed reports, including a dedicated Sponsored Brands report. Use it to analyze search terms, keyword performance, and the NTB metric. Also, leverage Amazon’s “Brand Analytics” (if available) to see how your ads affect branded search volume. According to Amazon Ads resources, these metrics help “measure your brand-building efforts” by showing which shoppers engage with your ads. In practice, after a few weeks of running your campaign, examine which products are selling, what CTRs you’re getting, and adjust accordingly.

measuring success: key metrics and reporting

Integrating Sponsored Brands with Your PPC Strategy

Sponsored Brands work best as part of a full-funnel PPC approach. Instead of running one campaign type in isolation, coordinate your ads:

1) Early Funnel (Discovery)

Use Sponsored Brands to introduce your brand and multiple products. Target broader keywords and categories here. For example, use generic terms or category keywords in a Brand Awareness campaign to maximize impressions. The goal is to capture shoppers who are browsing and build recognition. According to Amazon and PPC experts, Sponsored Brands excel at the top of the funnel.

2) Mid Funnel (Consideration)

Run Sponsored Products campaigns targeting high-intent keywords (including those identified from your Brands campaigns). These focus on individual products. Meanwhile, retarget viewers with Sponsored Display.

3) Bottom Funnel (Decision)

Sponsored Products ads capture shoppers ready to buy specific items, and Display retargeting captures last-minute interest (like showing your product to someone who viewed it but didn’t purchase). Sponsored Brands support all stages by reinforcing your brand at each step.

4) Budget Coordination

A common approach is 1) invest in Sponsored Products for keyword-driven conversions, 2) allocate a significant chunk (20–30%) to Sponsored Brands for discovery, and 3) use Sponsored Display to retarget and expand reach. This way, if a shopper first discovers you via a Sponsored Brand ad, they might later see a Sponsored Product or Display ad that completes the sale (and vice versa).

5) Team Collaboration

If you have an Amazon Store or DSP budget, also coordinate with those teams. For instance, you can drive Sponsored Brands traffic to a new product launch’s Store page, and use DSP ads to retarget those visitors off Amazon.

By blending Sponsored Brands with other ad types, you create multiple entry points. For example, a shopper might see your Sponsored Brand while researching, then later click a Sponsored Product ad for the same product and buy it. Advertisers consistently find that using all three ad types together yields the best overall ROI.

integrating sponsored brands with your PPC strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Products?

Sponsored Products are single-item ads that appear within search results and product pages based on keywords. They don’t require Brand Registry. Sponsored Brands ads, on the other hand, feature your brand name/logo and multiple products. They appear more prominently (often at the top of search results) and are optimized for brand awareness and customer acquisition. Use Sponsored Products to drive immediate sales of specific items, and Sponsored Brands to boost overall brand recognition and market presence.

Do I need Amazon Brand Registry to run Sponsored Brands?

Yes. Amazon requires that you be enrolled in Brand Registry to run Sponsored Brands (and to create a Brand Store). This verifies that you are the brand owner and allows access to all the creative features of Sponsored Brands.

How much should I budget for Sponsored Brands?

There’s no minimum spend, but budgeting wisely is important. A common recommendation is to allocate about 20–30% of your total Amazon ad budget to Sponsored Brands. If you have a \$1000/month ad budget, that’s \$200–\$300 for Brands campaigns (with the rest on Products). For daily budgets, Amazon suggests at least \$10/day per campaign to keep ads competitive. If you’re a new seller focusing on growth, you might skew higher; established brands often balance Brands and Products spending. Always start with a budget that allows consistent delivery and adjust as you gather performance data.

What are New-to-Brand (NTB) bids, and should I use them?

New-to-Brand targeting is a feature for Sponsored Brands that identifies shoppers who have never bought from your brand in the past 12 months. You can increase bids by a percentage for this audience segment. For example, apply a +50% bid adjustment for NTB shoppers if your goal is acquisition. Using NTB can improve the rate of new customer acquisition, but it typically results in a higher ACoS. We recommend using NTB bidding when you want to expand your customer base, for instance, when launching a new product or running an awareness campaign.

Should I use automatic or manual targeting for Sponsored Brands?

Both have their place. Automatic campaigns (if available for Brands in your region) can be used initially to let Amazon’s algorithms find relevant keywords and products for you. This is useful for new brands or when testing a new line. Over time, switch to manual campaigns for precise control. In practice, many sellers start with a broad automatic campaign to collect data, then create manual campaigns with the high-performing keywords and targets discovered. According to expert advice, a balanced approach, automatic for discovery and manual for focus, yields the best results.

How long should my Sponsored Brands videos be?

The optimal length for Sponsored Brands videos is 15–30 seconds. Amazon allows videos up to 45 seconds, but shorter videos generally hold attention better and are more effective in the auto-play environment. The first few seconds should hook the viewer, and always ensure your brand logo/message appears at the end. Keep in mind that videos auto-play without sound, so use text captions or visuals to communicate your main points.

Can I edit my Sponsored Brands ad after it’s live?

Yes, but with limits. For static Sponsored Brands (images and headlines), you can update the ad creative (change images, swap products, or tweak the headline) by editing the ad; note that edits may require a new approval. New for 2025, Amazon allows live editing of video ads. You can update the video creative of an active campaign without losing its performance history. This is handy if you want to swap in a better video or fix a minor issue without creating a whole new campaign.

Format	Description	Best For
Product Collection Ad	Static or carousel: lifestyle image + brand logo + up to 3 products + headline.	Showcasing a product line, driving multi-product consideration.
Brand Store Spotlight	Custom banner: logo + headline + 3 Brand Store sub-pages with images/labels.	Driving traffic into your Amazon Store and highlighting your brand story.
Sponsored Brands Video	Autoplay video (6–45s) in search results, linking to a product page.	Capturing attention with storytelling or demos, raising awareness, and engagement.