Sponsored Products vs Sponsored Brands vs Sponsored Display

Amazon gives sellers three main self-serve ad types: Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display. Each one shows up in different places, reaches shoppers at a different moment and suits a different goal. Most brands use all three, but not in equal amounts.

This guide compares them side by side, explains where each one fits, and shows how to split your budget when you are getting started.

The short version

• Sponsored Products promote a single product in search results and on product pages. Best for direct sales. Most brands spend the largest share here.
• Sponsored Brands show your logo, a headline and several products, or a video, at the top of search and other placements. Best for brand awareness and pushing shoppers into your catalog.
• Sponsored Display reaches shoppers based on what they viewed or bought, on Amazon and on other sites and apps. Best for retargeting and defending your product pages.

Sponsored Products

Sponsored Products ads look almost like normal search results, with a small “Sponsored” label. They promote one ASIN at a time and appear in search results and on product detail pages.

How you target: keywords (broad, phrase and exact match), products and categories, or automatic targeting where Amazon decides.

Who can use them: any professional seller with an eligible listing. No Brand Registry needed.

Best for:

• Driving sales on high intent searches.
• Launching new products and building early sales history.
• Improving organic rank, since ad sales help your product’s sales velocity.

For most sellers, Sponsored Products bring the most sales and the best return. That is why they are usually where you start and where most of the budget goes.

Sponsored Brands

Sponsored Brands ads feature your brand logo, a custom headline and up to three products. You can also run a video version, or a Store Spotlight version that sends shoppers to pages in your Brand Store.

Where they appear: at the top of search results (the most visible spot), within search results, and on some product pages.

Who can use them: sellers enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry.

Best for:

• Getting your brand seen on broad, high volume searches.
• Pushing several products at once, such as a product line or a bundle.
• Video ads, which often stand out in search and can have strong click-through rates.
• Bringing new-to-brand shoppers into your store. Amazon reports new-to-brand metrics for these ads.

Sponsored Brands ads usually have a higher cost per click than Sponsored Products and a lower direct conversion rate, because some clicks land on a store or product list rather than a single product page. Judge them on new-to-brand sales and branded search growth, not only ACoS.

Sponsored Display

Sponsored Display ads use audiences and product targeting rather than keywords. They can appear on Amazon product pages, the Amazon home page, and on third-party sites and apps.

How you target:

• Product targeting: show your ad on specific competitor or related product pages.
• Views remarketing: reach shoppers who viewed your product (or similar ones) but did not buy.
• Purchase remarketing: reach people who bought before, which is useful for refills and repeat purchases.
• Amazon audiences: reach people based on shopping interests and life events.

Who can use them: sellers enrolled in Brand Registry, plus vendors.

Best for:

• Following up with shoppers who looked but did not buy.
• Defending your own product pages from competitor ads by placing your other products there.
• Repeat purchase products like food, supplements and household goods.

Side by side comparison

• Main goal. Sponsored Products: sales. Sponsored Brands: awareness and consideration. Sponsored Display: retargeting and defense.
• Targeting. Sponsored Products: keywords and products. Sponsored Brands: keywords and products. Sponsored Display: audiences and products.
• Brand Registry. Sponsored Products: not required. Sponsored Brands: required. Sponsored Display: required for sellers.
• Typical role in budget. Sponsored Products: largest. Sponsored Brands: medium. Sponsored Display: smallest to start.

How to split your budget

Every account is different, but here is a sensible starting point for a brand registered seller.

• Sponsored Products: 60% to 75%. This is your sales engine.
• Sponsored Brands: 15% to 30%. Start with video and product collection ads on your best keywords.
• Sponsored Display: 5% to 15%. Start with views remarketing and defensive targeting on your own pages.

Shift money toward whatever earns the best results after four to six weeks. A brand with strong repeat purchases might grow Sponsored Display. A brand in a crowded category might grow Sponsored Brands to stand out.

How the three work together

Think of them as a funnel. Sponsored Brands introduce your brand on broad searches. Sponsored Products capture shoppers who are ready to buy. Sponsored Display brings back the shoppers who looked but left.

Results often improve when you run all three together, because shoppers see your brand more than once before they buy. Watch your total sales and TACoS, not just each campaign in isolation. Our guide on ACoS and TACoS explains how.

Common mistakes

• Running Sponsored Brands to a weak Brand Store. If the store does not convert, the ad will not either. When we redesigned the Store for Sureance, revenue per session rose 36% and the store exit rate fell 31%.
• Judging Sponsored Display only on ACoS. Retargeting often helps sales that show up in other campaigns.
• Not separating branded and generic keywords across ad types.
• Letting broad targeting run without regular negative keyword cleanup. Our guide to cutting wasted ad spend covers this.

The bottom line

Start with Sponsored Products, add Sponsored Brands once you have Brand Registry and a few proven keywords, then layer in Sponsored Display for retargeting. Review the split every month based on real results. If you want a team to build and run the full mix, see our Amazon PPC management service or get a free audit of your current setup.

FAQs

Which Amazon ad type is best for beginners?

Sponsored Products. They are the easiest to set up, need no Brand Registry, and usually deliver the most direct sales for the money.

Do I need Brand Registry for Sponsored Brands?

Yes. Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display both require Brand Registry for third-party sellers.

Are Sponsored Brands video ads worth it?

Often, yes. Video ads stand out in search results and can drive strong click-through rates. Keep videos short, show the product in use in the first few seconds, and make them work without sound.

Does Sponsored Display show ads outside Amazon?

Yes. Depending on the targeting, Sponsored Display ads can appear on third-party websites and apps as well as on Amazon.