Amazon Sponsored Brands are cost-per-click headline ads at the top of Amazon search results, available only to Brand Registry sellers and vendors. Each ad features a brand logo, a custom headline, and either a product collection, a video, or a store spotlight creative.
The Sponsored Brands suite has expanded considerably in 2026, with new creative formats, an AI video generator, and richer audience signals. This guide ranks the five most effective Sponsored Brands tactics, with execution steps, pros and cons, and data from AmpliSell's advertising team.
Sponsored Brands (SB)
A paid ad format on Amazon that places a branded headline ad at the top of search results. Only brand-registered sellers and vendors can run SB ads. Creative options include a logo, headline, and up to three products, a video, or Brand Store sub-pages.
Sponsored Brands Video (SBV)
A video-first variant of Sponsored Brands that auto-plays a silent video within Amazon search results. SBV supports horizontal (16:9) and vertical (9:16) formats and runs on a cost-per-click or vCPM pricing model.
New-to-Brand (NTB)
A set of Amazon Ads reporting metrics that identify first-time buyers within the past 12 months. NTB metrics include NTB orders, NTB sales, and percent of orders that are NTB.
Store Spotlight
A Sponsored Brands ad format that displays a brand logo plus up to three Brand Store sub-pages as clickable tiles. It requires a Brand Store with at least three distinct sub-pages and drives shoppers directly into the store experience.
Product Collection
A Sponsored Brands ad format that features up to three product ASINs. It links shoppers to either a custom brand landing page or a Brand Store page. It's the most flexible SB format for targeted promotions.
Branded Keyword Defense
A campaign strategy in which a brand bids on its own trademarked search terms to occupy the top-of-search position. This blocks competitors from capturing high-intent shoppers who already know and want the brand.
Category Targeting
A product-targeting option in Sponsored Brands that serves ads within a chosen category or sub-category. Refinement options include price range, brand, star rating, and Prime eligibility.
ACoS / TACoS
ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) is ad spend divided by ad-attributed revenue. TACoS (Total Advertising Cost of Sales) is ad spend divided by total store revenue, including organic sales. TACoS gives a broader view of advertising efficiency.
Tactic
Primary Goal
Best For
Effort
Typical Impact
1. Sponsored Brands Video
Mid-funnel consideration and conversion
Brands with visual products or complex value props
Medium (AI generator reduces creative lift)
High CTR; strong NTB acquisition
2. Branded Keyword Defense
Protect existing search demand
Any brand with established name recognition
Low (simple setup, ongoing bid monitoring)
Low ACoS; high conversion rate
3. Store Spotlight with Deep Catalog
Full brand discovery and cross-sell
Multi-category or multi-line brands
Medium (requires built-out Brand Store)
Higher average order value; longer session time
4. Category and Competitor ASIN Targeting
New customer acquisition; market share offense
Brands entering a category or conquesting rivals
Medium-High (ASIN list curation and ongoing pruning)
Strong NTB rate; incremental reach
5. New-to-Brand Metric Optimization
Customer acquisition efficiency
Growth-stage brands with customer LTV data
Low-Medium (reporting setup; bidding adjustments)
Lower effective CAC; smarter budget allocation
Sponsored Brands Video places an auto-playing, silent video directly in Amazon search results. Amazon's free AI Video Generator now turns a single product image into a finished ad in minutes, removing the production-cost barrier.
Sponsored Brands Video (SBV) auto-plays in the search results feed, giving brands a moving creative in a sea of static images. It supports both horizontal (16:9) and vertical (9:16) orientations, with vertical delivery targeting mobile shoppers scrolling in portrait mode. Videos start muted by default, so the visual must communicate the product's value without relying on audio.
Amazon's AI Video Generator is now generally available for SBV campaigns. It transforms an ASIN and one image into a 15-second, multi-scene video with text animation and music at no added cost. The tool runs inside the Amazon Ads console, replacing a production agency workflow.
Across our book of business, SBV is now the format we deploy first for any brand entering a new search-intent cluster. We've seen SBV campaigns deliver consistently stronger click-through rates than static product collection ads on non-branded mid-funnel terms. The AI Video Generator has been especially useful for clients launching new SKUs with limited creative budgets.
SBV is the right first choice for any brand targeting mid-funnel, non-branded keywords where shoppers are comparing options. It's also the strongest format for new product launches, where visual storytelling must substitute for reviews the listing hasn't yet earned.
Branded keyword defense uses Sponsored Brands campaigns to lock in the top-of-search position on a brand's own name and trademarked terms. It's the highest-ROI Sponsored Brands tactic for any brand with meaningful name recognition on Amazon.
When competitors bid on a brand's name, SB headline ads are the most visible counter. They occupy the top banner position on the search results page, above Sponsored Products ads. Because the brand already owns the underlying demand, conversion rates on branded terms are high and ACoS is typically low.
Branded SB campaigns also create a richer first impression than a single product listing. Brands can feature a logo, a custom headline, and three hero products. This presents a curated identity to shoppers who know the name and are closest to a purchase decision.
In our work on Amazon advertising management, branded keyword defense is the first SB campaign we build for every new client. It protects existing revenue while the rest of the ad account scales. Brands that skip it routinely hand top-of-search placements to competitors on their highest-converting keywords.
Branded keyword defense is relevant from day one for any brand with name recognition. Whether awareness came through Amazon organic growth, off-Amazon marketing, or influencer activity, the case is the same. Newer brands with low branded search volume still benefit from a low-spend always-on campaign.
The store spotlight format links each SB creative tile to a different Brand Store sub-page. One ad impression becomes a gateway to the brand's full catalog. It's the strongest format for multi-line brands growing basket size.
Store spotlight ads display a brand logo alongside up to three clickable sub-page tiles. Each tile carries a custom image and label, for example "Men's Shoes" or "New Arrivals." Clicking a tile lands shoppers on that Brand Store sub-page, encouraging cross-category discovery.
Unlike product collection ads, store spotlight doesn't send traffic to individual ASINs. Instead, it sends traffic into a branded environment where the brand controls the merchandising. Brands with well-built Brand Stores, multiple product lines, and strong creative assets get the most from this format.
Store spotlight is the right choice for brands with three or more distinct product lines and a well-built Brand Store. It pairs especially well with upper-funnel keyword strategies for shoppers researching a category rather than a specific item.
Rotate the three featured sub-pages seasonally and align them with the brand's highest-margin categories for that period. A Brand Store refresh every 60-90 days keeps creative current and lifts engagement metrics across all SB campaigns pointing to the store.
Category and competitor ASIN targeting places headline ads on competing product detail pages and within category-browse placements. It captures shoppers at the exact moment they're considering rival products, making it the primary offensive tactic for growing market share.
Product targeting in Sponsored Brands lets brands serve ads on specific competitor ASINs or across a defined product category. Refinements include price range, brand, star rating, and Prime eligibility. This places a branded headline above the fold on a competitor's detail page, intercepting shoppers already in a buying mindset.
Category-level targeting reaches shoppers who browse category nodes without using specific search terms. Refining by price range and rating focuses spend on shoppers most likely to switch brands. Both tactics work best in separate campaigns, isolated from keyword campaigns, to keep bidding logic clean.
Category and ASIN targeting works best after a brand's listings are fully optimized and converting well. Running conquest campaigns on a listing with poor imagery or weak reviews wastes spend. Brands with a price advantage or superior ratings often generate the highest NTB order volumes in the account from this tactic.
Amazon's new-to-brand metrics documentation notes that NTB metrics help advertisers estimate customer acquisition costs and find the most efficient growth channels. In our experience, category and ASIN targeting campaigns produce the highest NTB order percentages of any SB campaign type.
New-to-brand metric optimization means building Sponsored Brands campaigns around NTB orders and NTB cost-per-acquisition rather than ACoS alone. It's the most analytically rigorous tactic on this list and the one that most directly connects ad spend to long-term business value.
ACoS measures efficiency against ad-attributed revenue, but it doesn't distinguish between a repeat buyer and a first-time customer. A high-ACoS campaign acquiring net-new customers at an acceptable CPA relative to LTV may be the best investment in the account. A low-ACoS campaign that only recaptures existing buyers isn't growing the business.
NTB optimization treats Sponsored Brands as a customer acquisition channel and sets success metrics accordingly. Amazon's NTB suite covers NTB orders, NTB sales, percent of NTB orders, and units, in the Amazon Ads console. Teams should segment SB campaigns by audience intent and evaluate each on the matching metric.
NTB optimization is most valuable for growth-stage brands that have moved past launch and are now scaling their customer base. It's also essential for multi-channel brands where LTV matters more than single-channel efficiency. Across AmpliSell's Amazon advertising management practice, NTB data guides cross-channel strategy alongside TikTok Shop: TikTok drives discovery, Amazon captures purchase intent.
For brands building a complete paid media strategy, these related guides cover complementary tactics:
Sponsored Brands are cost-per-click ads at the top of Amazon search results. Each ad features a brand logo, custom headline, and up to three products or a video. They're available to Brand Registry sellers and vendors, designed to drive awareness and direct sales.
A product collection ad shows up to three products and links to a custom landing page or Brand Store page. A store spotlight ad links to up to three Brand Store sub-pages, needing at least three unique sub-pages. Store spotlight suits deep catalogs; product collection suits targeted item promotions.
Sponsored Brands Video (SBV) is a video-first ad format that auto-plays in Amazon search results. It supports horizontal (16:9) and vertical (9:16) creative on a CPC or vCPM model. Amazon's free AI Video Generator builds a finished SBV from one product image in minutes, removing the cost barrier for smaller brands.
New-to-brand (NTB) metrics in Amazon Ads reporting identify whether a purchase came from a first-time buyer within the past 12 months. Key metrics include NTB orders, NTB sales, and percent of orders that are NTB. Brands should track NTB rate by campaign type to understand which tactics acquire new customers, then allocate budget accordingly.
Branded keyword defense means running Sponsored Brands campaigns that bid on a brand's own trademarked keywords. These headline ads lock in top-of-search position and block competitors from capturing high-intent branded traffic. Because the brand already owns that demand, branded SB campaigns typically deliver low ACoS and strong conversion rates.
ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) measures ad spend as a percentage of ad-attributed revenue only. TACoS (Total Advertising Cost of Sales) divides ad spend by total store revenue, including organic sales, giving a fuller efficiency picture. A rising ACoS alongside a falling TACoS signals healthy halo effects.
Category targeting works best when a brand wants to intercept shoppers browsing a product type without brand-specific search terms. It's particularly effective for new launches, entering adjacent categories, or conquesting competitor ASINs. Keyword targeting drives search-intent traffic; category targeting works best as a complementary tactic in a separate campaign.
