Amazon DSP vs Google/Meta
Using Google or Meta to reach potential customers? Here’s why you should add Amazon DSP to your digital advertising mix.
Even if you don’t sell on Amazon, you can still harness the power of their DSP Ads to target your customers like never before.
updated may 2023
We hear it often, and we even say it! Amazon DSP is the next frontier of Amazon Advertising. But let’s take that sentiment a step further… Amazon DSP is the next frontier of digital advertising.
Amazon DSP and how it compares to Google Display Network or Facebook Ads (now Meta for Business) is a conversation important to more than just those who sell on Amazon, because you don’t have to sell on Amazon to advertise through their DSP.
Let’s repeat that one more time – Amazon DSP is not just for those selling on Amazon.
Now that we have that misconception smoothed out, let’s dig into why you should advertise with Amazon DSP or supplement it with your other platforms.
KEY SIMILARITIES
While Amazon DSP ads offer a number of competitive advantages over Google and Facebook, let’s start with some key similarities.
Amazon DSP Ads, Google Display Network, and Facebook Ads are all Demand-Side Platforms, software that allows advertisers to automate buying inventory from publishers’ sites. Meaning, you can manage all your digital ads on the one platform interface.
They all allow you to target audiences (groups of people based on similar interests or actions), with custom creatives, and the ads aren’t just limited to their specific platform. Amazon, Google, and Facebook all offer their own exclusive supply, but also have connections to work with providers of a third-party supply.
WHY AMAZON DSP STANDS OUT
These similarities mean if you’re advertising on one platform, those assets and skills are easily transferrable to the other platforms. Even creatives in some cases can be duplicated on the different platforms. However (and this is a big however), Amazon DSP takes the possibilities to the next level.
First-Party Data
This first one is the BIG ONE. The audience targeting capabilities of Amazon are unmatched and near limitless. And it all comes down to the data source.
Because shoppers come to Amazon to make a purchase, the data collected is highly relevant and closely connected to their consumer shopping habits. If someone is searching for “baby spoons” on Amazon, it’s pretty simple to connect what else that shopper might be “in the aisle” for and what their lifestyle may look like.
With Google, the audience data is further away from the purchase. Based off search results, and not necessarily related to an intent to purchase, Google makes indirect connections to create audiences. Say a web user searches for “when do babies learn to crawl?” Google can assume that user has a baby and show relevant ads based on that search query.
Meanwhile, Facebook offers data that is even further disconnected from a purchase. They can view what you do on your social media channels, but that doesn’t necessarily reflect your purchasing habits. Facebook tries to build more precise audiences by tracking users across apps, but recent privacy updates have made that much harder.
Because what consumers purchase and view on Amazon is all contained within their app, privacy updates don’t impact them as much.
Inventory & Supply Sources
Amazon has acquired a lot of unique businesses over the years so in addition to Amazon.com, their Owned & Operated network offers a wide, exclusive supply. IMDb.com and Freevee (formerly IMDbTV) are under the Amazon umbrella, as well as Twitch, which attracts a younger demographic that traditionally has been hard to reach. A reported 150 million Fire TV devices have now been sold worldwide, offering another high-demand supply source.
And let’s not forget the huge news of 2022 – Amazon Prime will be the ONLY way to enjoy Thursday Night Football this fall. They have exclusive rights to the coverage, opening up a substantial opportunity to reach a massive and growing audience. Every person watching Thursday Night Football will have a customized ad experience. Gone are the days of commercial after commercial of light beer!
Creatives
While you can target audiences with custom creatives with Amazon DSP, if you are an Amazon brand, you can also leverage their responsive ecommerce creatives. These creatives are branded similarly to Amazon listings, making it clear the ad will bring you to a trusted shopping experience at Amazon.com.
This option erases the hurdle of having to have a creative team or contractor design custom creatives to start DSP. These responsive ecommerce creatives also perform quite well because there is a lot of trust associated with purchasing from Amazon – the consumer knows exactly what sort of shopping experience they are getting when they head to Amazon.com.
Let’s Get Started
Amazon’s first-party data paints the most accurate picture of the consumer you are trying to reach. Ultimately as advertisers, we are trying to show the most relevant ads. When we achieve that high relevancy, not only do we see a better return, but the customer also has a better experience.
Whether you sell on Amazon or on an ecommerce site, you can harness the power of Amazon’s DSP to build a sustainable, successful strategy – targeting your ideal customers with the most relevant information.
Is it time to add Amazon DSP to your advertising mix?
Let’s connect and talk through your advertising objectives. Unlike most agencies, we don’t require minimum ad spend to get started with Amazon DSP. After we learn more about you and your brand, we will follow up with a free DSP Launch Plan, complete with tailored strategies and a recommended budget that fits your goals and objectives.