Amazon Ads used its flagship unBoxed conference in San Francisco on Sept. 29 to redraw how advertisers buy across its sprawling media stack. The headline is not a single feature but a structural shift: previously separate buying workflows are being folded together, and Amazon’s AI is being asked to plan and execute more of the media budget.
One platform, fewer silos
Amazon has renamed its unified platform Amazon Ads Agent and positioned it as the connective layer across planning, campaign creation, optimization, measurement and support. What began as a conversational interface now sits across the entire ad stack.
The clearest moves are two product launches.
- Full-Funnel Campaigns combine sponsored ads, display, video and streaming TV in a single campaign. Advertisers supply products, creative and budget; Amazon’s AI determines execution and optimizes toward goals such as new-to-brand customers and Long-Term Sales.
- DVA+ consolidates Sponsored Display, Sponsored TV and programmatic display, video and audio buying. A simplified mode asks for objective, budget and creative, while an advanced mode keeps targeting, deals, supply sources, frequency and bidding controls.
Programmatic for more advertisers
Kelly MacLean, VP at Amazon Ads, told Digiday the goal is “bringing the power of programmatic advertising to all advertisers,” and described the approach as “human-led AI supported.” In practical terms, smaller businesses without dedicated programmatic teams can use the simple flow, while agencies and enterprise buyers can switch to advanced settings.
Full-Funnel Campaigns goes further by removing operational boundaries between upper- and lower-funnel products. Amit Bhattacharyya, VP of full-funnel products, AI and modeling at Amazon Ads, said advertisers were already trying to connect Sponsored Ads and DVA campaigns themselves. “What if we made it really simple, and yet very powerful for advertising?” he said.
That simplicity has a trade-off. In Full-Funnel Campaigns, buyers approve creative but cannot choose individual channels or audiences. Amazon offers format-level visibility and says it is working on more audience transparency.
What marketers should interrogate
For marketing teams, the appeal is real: less operational complexity and easier access to Amazon’s data and programmatic infrastructure. But the shift in responsibility raises three questions worth asking before moving budget.
- Can you audit what the agent does with budgets and creative?
- How well does it work with third-party data, identity and measurement providers?
- Are fees, supply sources and auction mechanics still clear as buying systems merge?
These questions matter more because the launches arrive under regulatory scrutiny. In August, the FTC and 22 state attorneys general sued Amazon, alleging secret surcharges in its advertising auctions made Sponsored Products advertisers overpay. Amazon disputes the allegations.
When Digiday asked whether the new tools would show Sponsored Ads buyers how winning prices were determined, Amazon did not commit to that level of auction transparency.
Why it matters
Amazon is blurring the lines between retail media, programmatic and individual campaign products. Under the new model, advertisers increasingly tell Amazon what they want to achieve while its systems decide more of the media plan and execution. The convenience is obvious; the open question is how much visibility marketers keep as the technology takes the wheel.
Source: Digiday
