Sponsored Brands vs Sponsored Products: which should I run first?
Sponsored Products first, every time. SP drives direct sales on ready-to-buy queries and gives the fastest read on unit economics. Sponsored Brands adds top-of-funnel brand exposure and store traffic but usually shows a longer payback and needs SP data first to know which keywords deserve the SB budget.
Why Sponsored Products comes first
SP runs on the search results page next to organic listings. It converts because the shopper is already picking. It gives the clearest ACoS and TACoS signal, and its search-term report is the raw material for every other campaign type.
When Sponsored Brands earns its budget
SB pays off once you have a stable brand and a store, and you know which keywords already convert on SP. It defends branded search, showcases hero SKUs, and often lifts brand-search volume week over week.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run SB without SP?
Technically yes, but you will be flying blind on which keywords work. Start with SP for at least 2 to 4 weeks.
Does SB video count as SB or a separate type?
SB Video is a sub-type of Sponsored Brands with its own creative and often the best cost per click of the SB family.
What is a reasonable split?
Many mature brands run 70 to 80% of ad budget on SP, 15 to 25% on SB, and the rest on SD and DSP.
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Are Amazon video ads worth it?
SB Video ads often deliver a lower cost per click and a higher click-through rate than static SB ads because the video block dominates the search page. The ROI depends on creative quality more than any other factor: a 15 to 30 second product-in-use clip usually beats a talking-head ad by a wide margin.
Should smaller Amazon sellers run DSP?
For most sellers under about $2M/year on Amazon, DSP is not the right first move. Minimum spends, agency retainers, and long attribution windows make it expensive to learn on. Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display cover 90% of the paid opportunity for smaller catalogs.
How often should I harvest keywords from Amazon PPC?
Weekly for active accounts, bi-weekly for smaller ones. Pull the search-term report from the last 7 to 14 days, promote high-converting search terms into exact-match campaigns, and add wasteful ones as negatives. Any longer than 2 weeks and you burn budget on losers.
Do I need branded defense PPC campaigns on Amazon?
Yes, if competitors bid on your brand terms or you are brand-registered with real branded search volume. A dedicated Sponsored Products exact campaign on your brand keywords is cheap insurance. Add Sponsored Brands headline on your top brand queries to own the fold.