Amazon Ads
Amazon Ads is Amazon's advertising business, offering sponsored ads, display, video, and measurement solutions across Amazon properties and third-party sites.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Amazon Ads is the advertising division of Amazon.com, Inc., the multinational technology and e-commerce conglomerate. It provides a suite of advertising products that allow brands and sellers to reach customers across Amazon's owned-and-operated properties—such as Amazon.com, the Amazon app, IMDb, Twitch, and Fire TV—as well as through third-party websites and apps via the Amazon DSP (demand-side platform). The business is a major and rapidly growing source of revenue for Amazon, often referred to as its 'advertising' segment. Amazon Ads offers several core products: Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, Sponsored TV, Amazon DSP, and Amazon Marketing Cloud. These tools enable advertisers to target shoppers based on shopping behavior, interests, and demographics, and to measure campaign performance. The platform is used by millions of sellers, vendors, and brands worldwide, from small businesses to global enterprises. Amazon does not typically break out detailed financials for Amazon Ads as a standalone entity, but it is reported within Amazon's 'Advertising services' line item, which has grown to tens of billions of dollars in annual revenue. The division is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, alongside Amazon's global headquarters, and operates in numerous countries where Amazon has a retail presence. As a product brand, Amazon Ads is positioned as a full-funnel advertising solution that leverages Amazon's vast first-party shopping data. It competes with other digital advertising platforms such as Google Ads, Meta Ads, and Walmart Connect. The brand is known for its performance-oriented approach, helping advertisers drive sales both on and off Amazon.
History
Amazon Ads evolved from Amazon's early efforts to monetize its e-commerce traffic through advertising. In the 2000s, Amazon began displaying product ads on its retail pages, and in 2012 it launched Amazon Advertising as a formal business. The introduction of Sponsored Products in 2012 allowed sellers to bid for prominent placement in search results, marking a shift toward a self-service advertising platform. Over the years, Amazon expanded its ad offerings with Sponsored Brands (headline search ads) in 2014, Sponsored Display in 2019, and the Amazon DSP for programmatic buying across third-party sites. The acquisition of Twitch in 2014 and IMDb TV (now Amazon Freevee) further expanded Amazon's video ad inventory. In 2021, Amazon rebranded the division as 'Amazon Ads' to reflect its broad capabilities. The business has grown rapidly, becoming a significant profit driver for Amazon, and continues to innovate with products like Amazon Marketing Cloud (launched 2020) and Sponsored TV (2023).
- 2023
Launch of Sponsored TV.
- 2021
Rebranded as 'Amazon Ads'.
- 2020
Launch of Amazon Marketing Cloud.
- 2019
Launch of Sponsored Display.
- 2014
Introduction of Sponsored Brands (headline search ads).
- 2012
Launch of Sponsored Products and formal establishment of Amazon Advertising.
Products and positioning
Full-funnel advertising powered by Amazon's first-party shopping data, bridging on-Amazon and off-Amazon reach.
Sponsored Products
Cost-per-click ads that appear in Amazon search results and product pages.
Sponsored Brands
Cost-per-click ads featuring a brand logo, headline, and multiple products.
Sponsored Display
Display ads that can target shoppers on and off Amazon.
Amazon DSP
Demand-side platform for programmatic buying of display, video, and audio ads.
Amazon Marketing Cloud
Secure, privacy-safe analytics solution for advertisers.
Sponsored TV
Streaming TV ads available through Amazon's ad-supported video content.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Amazon Ads taps Barometer to expand brand-safe podcast buying[2]
Reported:
Amazon Ads engaged podcast brand-safety and measurement provider Barometer in a partnership aimed at expanding brand-safe podcast advertising buying.
- Unconfirmed
Barometer announces podcast brand suitability solution for advertisers using Amazon Ads[3]
Reported:
Barometer announced a podcast brand suitability solution aimed at advertisers using Amazon Ads, as reported by Fortune.
Amazon announces the Sailor Plan video series[4]
Reported:
Amazon Advertising and Amazon Global Selling announced the Sailor Plan, a short-video series focused on Chinese brands' journeys into overseas markets and building international brands. The series was scheduled to appear on Weibo, Douyin, WeChat Channels and Bilibili from September 29.
Scripps collaborates with Amazon Advertising on OTT ad sales[5]
Reported:
Scripps and Amazon Advertising announced a collaboration to bring Amazon OTT advertising offerings to local businesses; their teams will work together to sell Amazon OTT inventory.
Sources5 sources
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