Better Advertising with BTR Media

In the second episode of The Four Pillars of Amazon mini-series, Destaney and Gabi discuss the fast growth of Amazon Advertising. They look back on how much CPCs have grown over the past several years, especially with how they have increased their competitiveness on the platform and the need for strategic ad investments.

Focus of This Episode:

• Why brands willingly pay for premium CPCs and how to maintain profitability despite rising ad costs.
• The importance of moving beyond isolated search strategies to adopt a holistic, full-funnel approach.
• Leveraging Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) for advanced audience targeting, optimizing your advertising spend, and enhancing campaign efficiency.
• How creative advertising formats on Amazon (like Sponsored Brands Video, Sponsored Display, and streaming placements) can significantly impact your brand's performance.
• The critical role of external traffic sources and multi-channel touchpoints in maximizing overall brand conversion rates.

Connect with Destaney on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon/ 

Connect with Gabi on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellaviljoen/ 

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This is episode one of our "Four Pillars of Amazon" Mini-Series, hosted by Destaney Wishon and Gabi Viljoen, MBA.

A main topic throughout this episode is Amazon’s growth from “The Everything Store” to “The Everyday Store”. With both of them having long term experience working with Amazon, they discuss the multiple shifts that shaped Amazon’s commitment to better consumer experiences, the impact of post-COVID shopping behaviors, the importance of optimizing your digital shelf and leveraging reviews, and what strategies are the most effective for managing assortment, pricing, and SKU differentiation. 

Focus of This Episode:

• Amazon's shift towards targeted, everyday consumer experiences
• Impact of post-COVID consumer shopping behaviors on online retail
• Importance of optimizing your digital shelf and leveraging reviews
• Effective strategies for managing assortment, pricing, and SKU differentiation

Connect with Destaney on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/destaney-wishon/ 

Connect with Gabi on LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellaviljoen/

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After five years with BTR Media, COO Alex Amos appears on his first podcast episode! Jeff Cohen, Amazon Ads Tech Evangelist, credits Alex as the "silent assassin" behind BTR Media, recognizing his influential role in the company's growth. Alex and Destaney break down how geo-targeting works with Walmart's display ads and why it’s important to align audience targeting with business goals. Their conversation covers how brands are adjusting to new opportunities across various retail media platforms by focusing on case studies involving Instacart and Walmart. Alex shares the challenges of managing advertising on these platforms, sharing unique examples like the marketing strategies for the mandarin orange brand, Cuties.

Major takeaways from this episode:

• Understanding the strategic importance of selecting the right retail media networks based on brand alignment and operational capabilities.
• Highlights the benefits of leveraging retail media networks' unique features, such as Walmart's item set-level advertising and geo-targeting.
• Emphasis on the role of detailed audience segmentation and creative optimization in driving successful advertising campaigns.
• Revealing new opportunities with brands using insights into how Instacart and Walmart advertising can drive significant lift in both online and in-store sales.
• The importance of using comprehensive retail media network data to inform strategy and optimize advertising spend effectively.

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What impact has video had on the advertising landscape? In this episode, Emery Robbins is back to explore how video has emerged as a fundamental tool for brand engagement and customer conversion. She and Destaney cover various creative formats, from Sponsored Brand Videos to Streaming TV ads, and explain the value it brings to building brand awareness and driving sales. Emery shares her reasoning as to why brands must tailor their video content to where a customer is in their buying journey, and how to leverage Amazon Marketing Cloud insights to track the effectiveness of their video campaigns. If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide on scaling video content, aligning creative with demographic targeting, and embracing the opportunities AI has to offer, this episode is for you! 

Some key points from their discussion:

• Video is no longer just a supplementary advertising tool; it’s a cornerstone for engaging customers and building brand loyalty.
• Advertisers need to focus on creating demand at the top of the funnel through engaging, informative video content rather than solely relying on bottom-funnel searches.
• Brands should tailor video content to specific search terms and audience types to maximize conversion rates and customer interaction.
• By combining video with other ad types and detailed audience targeting, brands can significantly enhance the customer journey and achieve higher returns.
• As AI continues to evolve, it will play a crucial role in operational scalability, allowing for more dynamic and personalized video content creation.

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How do you successfully build a purpose-driven brand on Amazon? Meet Kate Bray: CEO and founder of REBRelief, a brand offering a specialized heating pad for period pain. Live from the Prosper Show, Destaney sits down with Kate to discuss how this product was born from a niche demand identified on Amazon, and her strategic use of Amazon's tools for brand discovery and audience engagement. They further explore how a data-driven approach, supported by user-generated content (UGC) and influencer partnerships, has propelled REBRelief into the spotlight and garnered attention from high-profile figures. Kate also shares her strategies to navigate challenges in inventory management, advertising, and audience targeting.

"Anyone has the opportunity to succeed–it's having the confidence to do it and figure it out along the way." - Destaney Wishon

Some of their main points:

• Utilizing Amazon's search rank tools and Creator Connections can transform product launches by enhancing visibility and optimizing audience targeting.
• Emphasize the importance of differentiating advertising content based on customer readiness, especially with video content across various platforms.
• Engaging with and learning from supportive communities, particularly within niche markets, can provide instrumental help and opportunities.
• Managing logistics and inventory presents significant challenges as a solo entrepreneur, but is crucial for sustained growth.

Connect with Kate on LinkedIn

Learn more about REB Relief

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How does failing fast in e-commerce relate to doing laundry? Domenic DiSiena, VP of E-Commerce at Nestlé Health Science, joins Destaney in our latest episode to break this down and explain how Nestlé is mastering adaptability by encouraging teams to fail fast. He outlines how large companies like Nestlé can compete with smaller, agile brands by stimulating innovation and maintaining a strong brand presence across multiple e-commerce platforms. Domenic also elaborates on how Nestlé leverages its diverse portfolio to engage with consumers at various life stages, particularly focusing on loyalty and building consumer trust. 

A few of their main points:

• The necessity of evolving e-commerce strategies to align with digital trends and consumer behavior shifts over the past six years.
• Building trust and loyalty is pivotal for brand success, emphasizing the need for dynamic content and personalized consumer engagement.
• The ability to move quickly to market demands is illustrated through the fast-paced development of the Vital Proteins Colostrum capsule.
• Successfully managing multiple e-commerce platforms requires clarity on what aspects are critical for each platform and maintaining focus amidst the complexities.
• Evangelism and consumer trust play vital roles, particularly in the context of incorporating new trends and innovations.

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Episode #071 - How can Amazon's path to purchase insights impact advertising strategies? Understanding customer behavior is pivotal for success, and in this episode, Justin and Austin break down all the details of Amazon's new path to purchase data module. They offer their expertise on how this essential data not only aids advertisers in comprehending multi-step conversion paths but elevates the value of Amazon's multi-touch attribution model. 

A preview of their conversation: 

• Amazon's path to purchase data provides insights into the top five conversion paths ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the customer journey.
• The episode emphasizes the limitations of Amazon's last-touch attribution model and the potential of multi-touch attribution for holistic strategy development.
• Discover how various ad types, from sponsored products to DSP ads, interact and contribute to effective conversions.
• Get familiar with navigating the path to purchase module to unlock detailed analytics, including sales, new-to-brand purchases, and previously untracked touchpoints.
• Learn how adjusting ad strategies based on path-to-purchase findings can optimize brand discovery and conversion rates.

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Episode #070 - In this episode, Destaney is joined by Matt Zielinski, VP of Digital Strategy at H&H Group, to discuss how platforms such as Amazon and Walmart have shaped the evolution of the e-commerce landscape, and how to pair digital analytics with strategic planning to foster an engaging consumer experience. Matt also shares his journey from traditional brand marketing into the digital realm, emphasizing the necessity for convergence between brand building and performance marketing to drive sustainable growth in a highly competitive market.

A glimpse into their conversation:

• The shift from traditional ROAS metrics to a more holistic view of brand and performance-driven marketing is essential for long-term success in eCommerce.
• Understanding the convergence of brand marketing and performance media, particularly with tools like Amazon DSP, can lead to better consumer engagement and increased profitability.
• Investment in upper-funnel marketing activities and the use of clean-room analytics are vital steps in building a robust digital brand presence.
• Effective brand strategies must prioritize understanding consumer behavior and demand creation over mere product selling.
• Brands should focus on adaptive strategies and test and learn approaches to navigate the dynamic advertising landscape effectively.

Connect with Matt on LinkedIn

Learn more about H&H Group

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Episode #069 - Can brands harness adaptable advertising techniques to drive profitability while still cultivating a recognizable brand presence across digital marketplaces? In this episode, Justin welcomes Advertising Specialist Zach Bican to discuss a transformative advertising strategy for a boating brand. They talk about how Zach shifted the brand away from heavy reliance on branded spend towards a more category-driven approach, aligning with seasonal opportunities to boost RoAS and enhance market share.

"Allowing organic to cover that for us and reinvesting into the main category terms was key to becoming more profitable." – Zach Bican

Some of their key takeaways: 

• Shifting focus from branded to category targeting can drive incremental growth and outperform short-term RoAS-centric strategies.
• Educating clients about the long-term benefits of non-branded exposure is crucial in fostering understanding and patience during initial RoAS declines.
• Leveraging strong creatives, such as commercial-grade videos, can significantly enhance category targeting strategies and improve overall campaign effectiveness.
• Sustained advertising strategy adjustments with emphasis on top-of-search visibility can lead to significant organic sales growth and efficient spending.
• Brands ready to invest in top-of-funnel advertising can further capitalize on category dominance to expand market share and reinforce brand recognition.
• External marketing efforts, such as social media ads, can strengthen brand presence and drive both Amazon and direct-to-consumer sales.

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Episode #068 - How can brands with premium pricing stand out? In this solo episode, Justin shares his strategic tactics and considerations that contribute to a brand's enduring success–emphasizing the importance of Amazon DSP and Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) in efficiently targeting and engaging audiences.

"The importance of DSP to get back in front of these customers after they discovered you...cannot be understated."

Some of his main points: 

• Utilizing Amazon DSP is vital for retargeting and engaging customers in a premium brand's sales funnel.
• The use of AMC is crucial in understanding consumer behavior, enabling brands to tailor advertising strategies for more extended sales cycles.
• Premium brands should use eye-catching creatives and influential content to differentiate themselves in the competitive e-commerce landscape.
• Storefronts are critical for providing a protected, comprehensive brand experience free from competitor ads.
• External marketing efforts, such as social media ads, can strengthen brand presence and drive both Amazon and direct-to-consumer sales.

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