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Mastering Amazon Ads: Best Practices for Sponsored Brand Video Ads

Peter Eickholt
Apr 17, 2023
Last Modified:
Apr 17, 2023

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Are you looking to engage your customers and boost your brand visibility on Amazon? Sponsored Brand Video ads, also known as Video in Search, can be a powerful tool to achieve your advertising goals. It is important to know the best practices for creating compelling and effective Amazon video ads that drive results.

Amazon Video Ads Best Practices

Video ads on Amazon allow you to showcase your products or brand through engaging videos in your ads. However, it's important to ensure that your video is relevant to your product and leads to a contextually relevant landing page. Here are some best practices to keep in mind when creating Amazon video ads:

Know Your Audience:

Understanding your target audience is crucial for creating effective video ads. Your content should be educational and/or demonstrative, providing value to your viewers. By addressing the pain points or needs of your audience, you can create compelling content that resonates with them.

Show Your Product:

Feature your product prominently within the first few seconds of your video.  The ad will autoplay as the customer scrolls down the search results page, so the goal is to grab the attention of viewers and convey the main message of your ad. Make sure your product is showcased clearly and effectively, highlighting its key features and benefits.

Keep It Brief and Focused:

The optimal video length of 15 - 20 seconds. It's important to keep your video short and focused, delivering your message quickly and effectively. The goal is to capture the viewer’s attention quickly, so make sure to convey your main message within the first few seconds of your video.

Optimize for Mobile

With the majority of online shopping happening on mobile devices, it's crucial to optimize your Amazon Video Ads for the mobile format. Videos should work without sound, and on-screen text should be easily readable on a mobile device. Consider adding text overlays to highlight key benefits or features of your product if it's less demonstrable in the video. Also, keep in mind that videos will automatically loop, so consider adding an end card to allow for some breathing room or get creative and make your loop seamless.

Consider the Loop:

Videos on Amazon automatically loop. You can add an end card to allow for some breathing room or get creative and make your loop seamless. This can help create a smooth viewing experience for viewers and make your ad more engaging.

Showcase Your Advertised ASIN Prominently:

Make sure to showcase your advertised ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) prominently within the first few seconds of your video. This helps viewers quickly identify your product and encourages them to click through to your detail page or brand store.

Use Static or Moving Visuals Effectively:

Whether you choose static images or moving visuals for your video ads, it's important to use them strategically to make a lasting impression. Place your logo clearly and prominently to create brand recognition and add custom text to communicate your brand value. However, make sure not to overcrowd the screen with text, and pace the highlights of your campaign throughout the video.

Staying in Compliance and Avoiding Flags

To ensure the success of your video ads, it's important to follow best practices and avoid potential flags that could get your ads rejected or underperform.  Amazon generally reviews videos within a day or so before they go live.  Avoiding these common pitfalls will ensure your video ad is approved and starts delivering without delay.

Letter boxing or Pillarboxing

One common reason for video ad rejection is the use of letterboxing or pillar-boxing. These are horizontal or vertical black, color, or blurred bars that can appear in your video, and they can make your ad look unprofessional and less effective. To avoid this, make sure your videos are properly formatted and do not have any black or white frames at the start or end.

Pillarboxing is when your video is not in a landscape format and has black bars on each side of the video.

Text overcrowding

Another crucial consideration is the use of text overlay or crowding. While text can be an effective way to communicate your brand value or key messaging, it should not be overlaid or crowded over the screen, as it can make your ad difficult to read and understand. Keep your text clear, legible, and strategically placed to avoid cluttering the screen and ensure a seamless viewing experience for your audience.

Follow content Guidelines

Amazon has strict guidelines when it comes to the content of your video ads. Avoid using "how-to" videos or directly addressing the customer with "you/your" in a way that could be interpreted as making a claim to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease or addiction. Also, refrain from using before and after images or videos, and direct references to private, intimate, or sensitive bodily conditions. Ads can be flagged or rejected by violating these guidelines.

Avoid Promotional messaging

When it comes to promotional messaging in your video ads, be cautious with the use of superlatives such as "Huge Savings." While some promotional messaging is allowed, it should only include close variations of valid promotions that are visible on the product detail page and valid for the duration of the campaign. Examples of allowed promotional messaging include "Product savings," "Savings on Product," "Save now," and "Great prices on Product."

Make sure to comply with Amazon's specific requirements for promotions to avoid flags and rejections. On the other hand, campaigns that refer to "Deals" must only include products that have an Amazon deal, such as Deal of the Day, live on all advertised products for the duration of the campaign. Similarly, other savings campaigns must have active savings on the advertised products throughout the campaign. Be mindful of these requirements to ensure your video ads comply with Amazon's guidelines and do not get flagged or rejected.

Key Takeaways

Following these best practices will help you avoid costly edits to your videos and rejected campaigns on Amazon.  Amazon Video Ads offer a powerful platform for businesses to boost their brand's visibility and sales. By creating relevant and engaging content, optimizing for mobile, showcasing your brand identity, and complying with Amazon's requirements, you can create effective video ads that capture your customers' attention and drive sales. Remember to keep your videos short and focused, showcase your product prominently, and make use of text overlays, logos, and end cards strategically. With the right strategy and execution, Amazon Video Ads can be a game-changer for your brand's advertising efforts on the world's largest online marketplace. Start leveraging the power of video ads on Amazon today and watch your brand soar to new heights of success.

Expand Your Brand with ROI Swift

Are you tired of struggling to increase your product visibility and drive sales on Amazon? Our team of expert marketers at ROI Swift specializes in Amazon advertising and can help you create customized strategies to optimize your campaigns and drive measurable results. Want help? Book a call with us now!

Quick-Guide to Amazon Video Ads:

Amazon Content Guidelines

Videos must be suitable for general audiences and include your brand name, logo, or product that clearly represents the brand or product promoted. All Videos must comply with Amazon policies, including Prohibited Content and Claims.

Videos must contain audio. Audio and any text within the video must be in the primary language of the locale in which they are displayed.

Videos in your ads must not contain:

  • Creative elements that interfere with legibility of ad templates, for example, the Sponsored tag or mute button. Please review our Video Safe Zone templates for more information.
  • Call-to-action (CTA) buttons or text. Sponsored Brand Video creatives dynamically incorporate these elements by default.
  • Customer reviews (including star ratings) even if these reviews are on Amazon.
  • Deals, discounts, or other savings promotions.
  • Distracting images (for example, flashing, spinning, blinking,pulsating objects or text, or high-contrast transitions).
  • Pressuring, combative, or urgent language intended to elicit a click or a sale from the customer.

Amazon Technical Specifications:

  • Video duration: between 6 and 45 seconds (20 secs or less highly recommended).
  • Video dimensions: 1920 x1080px, 1280x720px or 3840 x 2160px.
  • File size: less than 500MB.
  • File format: MP4 or MOV.
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9.
  • Video codec: H.264 or H.265.
  • Video profile: Main or Baseline.
  • Frame rate: 23.976fps, 24fps, 25fps, 29.97fps, 29.98fps, or 30fps.
  • Video bit rate: minimum 1 Mbps.
  • Video scan type: progressive.
  • Audio codec: PCM, AAC, or MP3.
  • Audio format: stereo or mono.
  • Audio: minimum 96 kbps·   Audio sample rate: minimum 44.1khz.
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