Reflecting on the evolution of consumer journeys, it’s clear that the landscape of brand visibility and engagement is undergoing a significant transformation.
The proliferation of online shopping, especially in regions such as the Middle East, underscores the necessity for brands to adopt more sophisticated strategies for consumer engagement.
This transformation is not limited to brands traditionally selling on online shopping platforms but extends to non-endemic brands—those not traditionally selling through these channels, such as travel, banking, automotive, etc.
Amazon Ads emerges as a pivotal partner to collaborate with in this context, offering a robust suite of solutions that cater to a wide spectrum of advertising needs, providing a bridge for non-endemic brands to reach their desired audiences in innovative and impactful ways.
What does success for non-endemic brands look like?
The strategy for success in non-endemic categories is deeply intertwined with the effective use of deterministic first-party insights. These insights, grounded in explicit actions or behaviors of customers such as purchases, site visits, or app usage, provide a solid foundation for understanding customer preferences.
This data-driven approach offers a strategic advantage, especially for non-endemic brands looking to reach new markets or segments.
For instance, a travel airline brand not typically selling on Amazon can leverage Amazon Ads by engaging potential customers searching for travel accessories that are usually purchased in the lead up to a vacation.
These can be products such as neck pillows, carry on luggage, packing supplies and so on. Through clear audience segmentation and strategic ad placements, the travel brands can connect with these customers, introducing them to travel opportunities at the ideal moment in their planning process.
Similarly, an automotive brand can reach car enthusiasts based on their engagement with relevant content or purchases of car accessories on Amazon, showcasing the latest models or promotions.
In fact, brands have access to more than 1,600 audience segments in the MENA region. (1) Through this nuanced understanding of consumer segments, Amazon Ads enables non-endemic brands to craft messages that resonate deeply, fostering a strong connection.
Leveraging Amazon’s Demand Side Platform (DSP), non-endemic brands gain access to Amazon’s vast repository of first-party shopper data, allowing brands to engage the most relevant shoppers exactly when and where it matters most.
Advertisers using Amazon DSP have access to new, more advanced machine learning models and optimised campaign control systems to enhance bidding and pacing decisions and help advertisers reach previously unaddressable audiences.
The new machine learning models analyze a range of signals to help advertisers predict and reach highly relevant audiences with optimal cost-efficiency.
Beyond the technical aspects, the potential to forge meaningful connections between brands and audiences is also extended to customer touch points outside the Amazon store/DSP. This can be achieved through a blend of insights and creative excellence, utilising the ‘creative canvas’ of Amazon Ads.
This canvas unfolds a plethora of opportunities, from captivating visitors to Amazon with a hero getaway takeover that’s seen on the homepage, to crafting engaging branded experiences through Alexa in both Arabic and English and extending the reach to gamers on Twitch or via the Amazon eSports University initiatives.
Moreover, tangible touch points like On Box Branding (OBA) and Fresh Packaging Branding are changing the way non-endemic brands are interacting with customers on a larger scale and bringing a new dimension to conversion.
This breadth of creative options enables brands to connect with their audience in innovative ways, ensuring that their messages stand out amidst the digital noise.
Examples of successful campaigns demonstrate the power of combining insightful audience targeting with imaginative execution. For instance, discover how First Abu Dhabi Bank engaged customers during Ramadan to boost app sales or how Shahid collaborated with Twitch Ads to reach new viewers in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Sources:
1 – Amazon Internal Data, UAE & KSA, 2024
