Sponsored Display Strategy and Optimization
Sponsored Display reaches shoppers on and off Amazon using audience targeting (in-market, lifestyle, remarketing/views) and product targeting (specific ASINs, categories, or themed sets). It is available to sellers with Brand Registry for most audience features and to vendors, and it can run on Amazon detail pages, the homepage, and third-party sites through Amazon's demand-side capabilities. Because it is audience-driven, the strategy centers on who you reach and where, not just which keyword you bid on.
Key concepts: views remarketing (re-engage shoppers who viewed your products), competitor and complementary product targeting, category targeting, and the distinction between defensive (protect your own detail pages) and conquesting (target competitors) tactics. Traps include expecting Sponsored Display to behave like a search format, ignoring that off-Amazon placements can have very different conversion economics, forgetting frequency and brand-safety considerations, and judging audience campaigns on too little data. Also watch for confusing product targeting with keyword targeting - Sponsored Display does not use keyword bids in the Sponsored Products sense.
Rule of thumb: match the tactic to the funnel stage - remarketing for conversion, in-market and category targeting for reach and discovery. Worked example: a remarketing campaign targeting shoppers who viewed your ASIN in the last 30 days spends $100 and returns $400 in sales (25% ACOS), while a broad category campaign spends $100 and returns $150 (67% ACOS). Keep remarketing funded and tighten or cap the broad campaign until its efficiency improves.