When most Amazon sellers think about advertising, they tend to focus on one question:
How many sales did this ad generate?
And that makes sense. Sales, profitability, and return on ad spend are critical metrics for any ecommerce business.
But if you’re building a brand for the long term, there’s another question you should be asking:
How is my advertising helping shoppers discover and remember my brand?
That’s where Amazon Sponsored Brands can play an important role.
Sponsored Brands give Amazon sellers an opportunity to put their brand—not just an individual product—in front of relevant shoppers. And when used strategically, those impressions can help turn an unfamiliar brand into one that consumers recognize, search for, and ultimately choose.
Let’s take a closer look at how.
What Are Amazon Sponsored Brands?
Amazon Sponsored Brands are advertising campaigns designed to promote your brand and products to shoppers on Amazon.
Depending on the format, these ads can feature your brand logo, a custom headline, and multiple products. They can also appear prominently within Amazon search results.
This creates an important opportunity.
A shopper searching for a category or product doesn’t necessarily have a particular brand in mind. They’re evaluating their options.
If your Sponsored Brand appears prominently during that search, you’re getting an opportunity to introduce that shopper to your brand before they’ve made a purchasing decision.
That’s different from simply trying to capture the final click.
Brand Awareness Starts With Being Seen
Consumers don’t always see a product once and immediately buy it.
They might search for a product, click on a competitor, compare prices, read reviews, or leave Amazon altogether. They may return days later and continue their research.
This is why brand awareness matters.
When shoppers repeatedly encounter your brand in relevant searches, you’re increasing the likelihood that they begin to recognize your name.
And familiarity matters.
The more often a consumer sees a relevant brand, the less that brand feels like an unknown entity. Over time, you can move from being just another product among dozens of search results to becoming a recognizable option.
Sponsored Brands can help facilitate that process by putting your brand in front of shoppers while they’re actively researching products in your category.
Sponsored Brands Aren’t Just About the Immediate Sale
Here’s an important mindset shift for Amazon sellers:
Not every valuable advertising interaction has to end with an immediate sale.
Imagine you sell premium kitchen products.
A shopper searches for one of the products in your category and sees your Sponsored Brand at the top of the results. They click, browse, but don’t purchase.
It’s tempting to look at that interaction and conclude that the advertising didn’t work.
But what if the shopper remembers your brand?
What if they see your product again a few days later?
What if they search for your brand name?
What if they visit your Amazon Brand Store and discover several other products?
Or what if they eventually purchase from you after doing additional research?
That original interaction may have been the beginning of the customer journey—not the end of it.
This is why it’s important to think about Amazon advertising as part of a broader customer acquisition strategy, rather than evaluating every individual click in isolation.
Sponsored Brands Can Help Create Branded Search Demand
One of the most valuable outcomes of building brand awareness is getting shoppers to search for your brand by name.
Consider the difference between these two searches:
“Stainless steel water bottle”
versus
“ABC water bottle”
The first shopper is searching for a category.
The second shopper already has a brand in mind.
That’s a significant difference.
When customers begin searching specifically for your brand, you’ve moved beyond competing exclusively for generic category searches. You’re beginning to create demand for your brand itself.
And that can become a powerful long-term asset.
Instead of constantly having to introduce yourself to shoppers, you’re creating a situation where shoppers are actively looking for you.
Use Sponsored Brands to Introduce Your Entire Brand
Another advantage of Sponsored Brands is that they can introduce shoppers to more than a single product.
This is particularly valuable for brands with multiple complementary products.
A shopper might initially discover your brand because they’re searching for one particular product. But once they engage with your Brand Store, they may discover that you offer other products that solve related problems.
For example, someone searching for a water bottle might discover that your brand also sells lunch containers, travel mugs, hydration accessories, and other products.
Now you’re not simply trying to sell one SKU.
You’re introducing the shopper to your broader product ecosystem.
That can create opportunities for cross-selling, repeat purchases, and increased customer lifetime value.
How Should You Measure Sponsored Brands?
If you’re using Sponsored Brands to build awareness, you shouldn’t abandon the traditional advertising metrics.
You still need to understand:
- Sales
- Advertising cost of sales (ACOS)
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Click-through rate
- Conversion rate
These metrics help you determine whether your advertising is generating economically viable results.
However, if your objective includes long-term brand building, you should also pay attention to indicators that tell you whether awareness is increasing.
For example:
- Are branded searches increasing?
- Are shoppers engaging with your Brand Store?
- Are customers purchasing additional products?
- Are repeat purchases increasing?
- Is overall demand for your brand growing?
The objective isn’t to ignore profitability in favor of awareness.
It’s to understand that advertising can influence the customer journey at multiple stages.
The immediate sale is one outcome.
Brand discovery and future demand can be another.
Don’t Use Brand Awareness as an Excuse for Bad Advertising
There’s an important distinction here.
I’m not suggesting you run Sponsored Brands without paying attention to performance.
You still need to be disciplined.
You need to understand your product margins, customer acquisition economics, and advertising performance. You need to optimize campaigns and eliminate waste.
After all, there’s a big difference between investing in brand awareness and simply spending money without a strategy.
You want your advertising to accomplish something.
The key is recognizing that the value of an advertising interaction isn’t always captured by the immediate transaction.
If you’re building a brand you intend to grow for years, the customer relationship is worth considering alongside the individual sale.
Build a Brand Customers Come Looking For
So, how do Amazon Sponsored Brands help build long-term brand awareness?
They give you an opportunity to put your brand in front of relevant shoppers, rather than simply promoting one product.
They can help you capture attention during category searches.
They can introduce shoppers to your broader product catalog.
They can drive shoppers to your Amazon Brand Store.
And they can help turn an unfamiliar brand into a familiar one.
That familiarity can eventually lead to branded searches, repeat purchases, cross-selling, and stronger customer lifetime value.
So when you’re evaluating your Amazon advertising strategy, don’t ask only:
“Did this ad generate a sale?”
Also ask:
“Did this advertising help more shoppers discover and remember my brand?”
Because if you’re building a real ecommerce business, that’s the game you’re ultimately trying to win.
You don’t want to rent customers forever.
You want to build a brand that customers come looking for.
That’s how you make each click count.
Frequently Asked Questions About Amazon Sponsored Brands
- What are Amazon Sponsored Brands?
Amazon Sponsored Brands are advertising campaigns that promote a brand and its products to shoppers on Amazon. Depending on the ad format, Sponsored Brands can feature a brand logo, headline, and multiple products. They can appear prominently in Amazon search results, helping shoppers discover a brand while actively researching products.
- How do Amazon Sponsored Brands build brand awareness?
Sponsored Brands build awareness by putting your brand in front of relevant shoppers during their Amazon searches. Even when a shopper doesn’t purchase immediately, repeated exposure can help increase familiarity with your brand. Over time, that familiarity may contribute to more branded searches, purchases, and repeat interactions with your business.
- Are Amazon Sponsored Brands only valuable when they generate an immediate sale?
No. While sales and profitability remain important, Sponsored Brands can also contribute to longer-term brand awareness. A shopper might see your ad, research your products, and return later to purchase. They may also remember your brand and search for it directly in the future.
- How can Sponsored Brands help increase branded searches?
When shoppers repeatedly see your brand alongside relevant products, they may become more familiar with your company. That familiarity can encourage shoppers to search for your brand by name rather than relying solely on generic product searches. Branded searches can indicate that your advertising is helping create demand for the brand itself.
- Can Amazon Sponsored Brands promote multiple products?
Yes. Depending on the Sponsored Brands format you’re using, you can feature multiple products. This can be especially useful for brands with complementary products because shoppers who discover one product can potentially be introduced to additional products within your catalog.
- Should I measure Amazon Sponsored Brands based only on ACOS and ROAS?
No. ACOS and ROAS are important performance metrics, but they don’t necessarily capture the full value of brand-building advertising. In addition to traditional advertising metrics, consider monitoring indicators such as branded searches, Brand Store engagement, repeat purchases, and sales across your broader product catalog.
- Are Amazon Sponsored Brands worth using for a growing ecommerce brand?
They can be, particularly for brands that want to build awareness while generating sales. The key is to use Sponsored Brands strategically and maintain control over your advertising economics. The goal isn’t simply to spend more on advertising; it’s to use advertising to create awareness, drive consideration, generate sales, and ultimately build a brand that customers recognize and seek out.
Need Help with Amazon Ads? If you’re looking to maximize your Amazon ad returns, sometimes you need an expert who’s been there, done that. I’m Andy Splichal, author of Make Each Click Count and host of the Make Each Click Count podcast. Amazon’s PPC landscape can be overwhelming, but with the right guidance, you can make every dollar count, I’m here to help. Let’s make those clicks count!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Splichal is the founder and managing partner of True Online Presence, author of the Make Each Click Count book series, host of the Make Each Click Count podcast, founder of Make Each Click Count University and certified online marketing strategist with twenty plus years of experience helping companies increase their online presence and profitable revenues.
He was named to Best of Los Angeles Awards’ Most Fascinating 100 List in both 2020 and 2021. To find more information on Andy Splichal, visit trueonlinepresence.com or read The Full Story on his website or his blog, blog.trueonlinepresence.com.
