Amazon unveils new ad tech features at publisher services summit

The news: Amazon, moving to bolster its ads business by giving brands greater access to its audience, unveiled several features at its recent Publisher Services summit.

• The updates include enhancements to the retailer’s clean-room offering, the introduction of an advertising identity service called Signal IQ, and an extension of its Transparent Ad Marketplace (TAM) to support all streaming TV publishers.
• The Amazon Publisher Cloud, now available to all, provides advertisers with direct access to ad spaces with well-known publishers, including a collaboration with Omnicom Media Group. Features like Audience Collaborations allow advertisers to target custom audiences directly with participating publishers. The Automated Deal Curation feature lets publishers package eligible inventory for sale via Amazon's demand-side platform.
• Signal IQ, a measurement solution, helps digital publishers evaluate the impact of third-party IDs, such as LiveIntent and Yahoo ConnectID, on ad performance. This is particularly significant as the industry prepares for the end of third-party cookies.

Why it matters: These moves are part of Amazon's efforts to capture more ad revenues by enabling advertisers to reach Amazon users beyond its own platforms. CEO Andy Jassy has highlighted the importance of the advertising business in driving the company's next phase of growth.

Amazon's latest developments aim to help advertisers and publishers comply with increasingly stringent privacy regulations from not just governmental entities, but digital platforms as well.

Our take: Amazon's ambitious expansion into ad tech underscores its commitment to maintaining a competitive edge in the digital advertising arena.

• Amazon’s ad revenues hit nearly $47 billion in 2023, a 24% increase from the previous year, and that segment’s growth rate now passes that of both Meta and Google. We forecast that Amazon's advertising revenues will exceed $76 billion by 2025.
• The introduction of Signal IQ and the expansion of its publisher cloud highlight Amazon's innovative approach to harnessing data for more effective advertising.
• By addressing privacy concerns and providing robust tools for both advertisers and publishers, Amazon is positioning itself as a vital player in the evolving digital advertising landscape. As connected TV and privacy-focused solutions become increasingly important, Amazon's proactive measures could set new industry standards.