Amazon Ads took centre stage once again with The Connected Worlds, hosted at the stunning Taj Exotica Resort & Spa in Dubai. Brands got a closer look at how their holistic retail media strategies can connect them with the right customers at the right moments with Amazon Ads.
From engaging sessions on blending commerce, content, and creativity, to strategies on making the most of peak shopping moments like 11/11 and White Friday, the event was packed with actionable insights.
Rayan Karaky, Managing Director, Amazon Ads EMEA & South East Asia, opened the event with “The Rise and Rise of Retail Media,” unveiling Retail Media 3.0, and how it is reshaping the way brands engage with consumers. With retail media projected to grow by 21.8 per cent in 2024 and account for a fifth of global digital ad spend (1), its strategic importance is clear.
He underscored that retail media is no longer just about marketing impact; it’s a powerful tool for driving business results. It not only allows brands to reach the right audience at key moments while providing measurable results — retail media delivers unique signals that unlock value for all business stakeholders. It can influence a product strategy to supporting efficiency in financial decision-making.
Karaky emphasized, “Any brand out there, whether it engages in e-commerce or not, can find meaningful relevance and insights in the retail media space.”
Jarrod Eckstein, Agency Creative Strategist at Amazon Ads MENA, drove home the crucial role creativity plays in amplifying a campaign’s success, highlighting that creativity is more than just an asset—it’s a multiplier. He shared of several regional first executions which included, NIVEA’s Prime Day campaign, First Abu Dhabi’s On-Box execution, and Unilever’s Amazon Fresh bag takeover. These campaigns saw success in customer engagement and new-to-brand growth, thanks to what Jarrod calls the “Creative Multiplier Effect”.
Eckstein also highlighted the power of cultural resonance, explaining that 80 per cent of people in the UAE and KSA believe that advertising shapes culture, (2) and culturally connected brands can grow 25 per cent faster than their competitors. (3) With 72 per cent of people trusting culturally integrated brands more, (4) it’s clear that tapping into culture isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must.
Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon MENAT, sat down with Hind AbuAlia, Head of Marketing, Amazon Ads IX EMEA, to explore the impactful role of AI at Amazon. Ronaldo shared Amazon’s vision for generative AI, which he believes will be one of the most transformational technologies of our time.
He outlined Amazon’s three-layer AI approach, starting with a powerful foundational infrastructure, then offering tools to build with AI, and finally, creating practical applications that are improving customer experiences worldwide. From personalised recommendations to streamlining shopping journeys, AI is driving innovation across multiple touchpoints of Amazon’s business.
Through vertical-specific sessions, the event connected customers with best practices to activate Retail Media 3.0 and evolve their holistic retail media strategies.
From actionable category insights to creative innovations, brands walked away equipped with the tool kit to build effective strategies for key shopping moments like 11/11 and White Friday, and year-long holistic retail media strategies. New opportunities with Amazon Marketing Cloud showcased how simple it can be to drive efficient and effective campaign decision-making to support long-term business growth.
The Consumer Packaged Goods session highlighted the significant growth opportunity in Q4, where new to category shoppers peak. With 24 per cent of shoppers starting their journey by October (5) and 87 per cent discovering new brands and looking for inspiration on Amazon. (6) Additionally, L’Oréal Paris and Publicis showcased creative and strategic best practices, and learnings to win during the peak shopping season and beyond.
The Consumer Electronics, Fashion, Home, and Lifestyle session explored emerging personas in these verticals, with tactics to enhance the shopping experience. Best-in-class strategies for A+ content were discussed as vital tools for driving customer engagement and elevating brand presence. To further emphasize this, partners from Sony and Versuni took to the stage, showcasing their winning formula for peak shopping periods.
Lastly, the non-endemic session focused on verticals that don’t sell directly on Amazon but can still partner with retail media networks for brand and business growth. Partners across automotive, banking, telco, entertainment, and QSR learned how to leverage Amazon’s first-party insights and pair it with creative strategies to build meaningful connections with multiple customer cohorts to achieve reach, engagement, and conversion.
Sources:
1 – eMarketer, Retail Media Ad Spending, Global, 2024
2-4 – Amazon Ads, From Ads to Zeitgeist: Global research exploring the relationship between culture and advertising, UAE & KSA, 2023
5-6 – GWI Study 2024, UAE, respondents who have shopped Q4 shopping events in 2023 and plan to do so in 2024
