How Amazon's GenAI tools & unified DSP are elevating the AdTech conversation

Amazon Ads unBoxed was a crucial moment, clearly signaling Amazon's ambition to transform its Demand-Side Platform (DSP) into the industry’s most powerful and strategic full-funnel ad machine. James Bourner, VP AdTech Solutions & Briana Cifelli, Senior Director, Retail Media at Jellyfish, share their insights. The key themes they identified weren't isolated product updates; they were interconnected moves designed to simplify strategy, democratize data, and expand premium reach.

AI at the forefront

The most significant announcements centered on AI, which is now at the forefront of Amazon Ads. These weren't just workflow accelerators; they are Amazon's bid to own more of the strategic layer marketers operate in today.

Ads Agent & Creative AI: Amazon unveiled major innovations, including Creative AI and Ads Agent, powered by Generative AI. These advancements will help agencies and brands cut down manual setup and optimization work, freeing up resources to focus on higher-value strategy and innovation. As marketers, our value shifts from optimizing inputs to knowing which questions to ask and which signals to trust. 

Natural language tools in AMC: Another huge AI-based update is the arrival of natural language tools in the data clean room, Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC). Previously, a working knowledge of SQL was required to get the best out of AMC. This announcement means a democratization of data, allowing users to prompt their way to complex measurement queries and advanced audience creation in plain English. We expect this to drive significant operational efficiencies and stronger advertising ROI.

Unified campaign management: To eliminate silos and streamline the full-funnel approach, Amazon announced a single user interface (UI) for Sponsored Ads and DSP. This unified view simplifies activation and allows users to monitor holistic performance in one consolidated place, creating more opportunity for flexibility across campaign types.

The DSP evolution: Full-funnel and competitive rates

Amazon is redefining what a commerce platform is, solidifying its ad-tech journey from a retail-endemic solution to a fully-fledged, industry-leading DSP.

A brand platform, not just checkout: The emphasis on full-funnel strategy, coupled with creative enhancements like Sponsored Brand Collections and Sponsored Product Video, clearly shows a shift toward consumer education and stronger branding. The biggest competitive advantage will go to the brands that treat Amazon as a brand platform, not just a checkout destination.

Amazon complete TV: This new solution complements the DSP by allowing agencies and advertisers to prioritize upfront commitments and include data from linear TV buys directly into the DSP. Essentially, it allows for a view of entire TV activity (linear, CTV, and digital media) in one place. When coupled with Amazon DSP’s market-leading rates (e.g., 1% tech fees for PG deals on their O&O inventory), this provides a compelling reason to consider the DSP for all CTV and beyond.

Scaling reach: Premium live sports inventory

Amazon continues to change the advertising landscape, not just through data and tech, but by giving the industry access to premium inventory no other platform can match in an addressable way.

• Programmatic live sports: Following on from partnerships with Nascar, PGA, and NFL, Amazon announced NBA League Pass for live programmatic bidding. This is a crucial unlock for additional scatter spend and democratizes access to real-time tentpole events for both endemic and non-endemic advertisers.
• The future is addressable: By carving out programmatic ad inventory around live sports broadcasting events, Amazon is building a broader biddable live sports business that spans owned-and-operated (O&O) and third-party (3P) inventory. The future is truly addressable, and Amazon is building the pipes to deliver it.

Why this is critical for marketers

The collective vision presented at unBoxed was a cohesive, strategic turning point for marketers, fundamentally changing the opportunity within the Amazon ecosystem. By leveraging Ads Agent and Creative AI to automate manual work, the marketer's role is elevated to one of high-level strategy, identifying key questions and designing coherent brand experiences. 

This shift is supported by Data Democratization, as Natural Language Tools in AMC remove technical barriers, driving stronger advertising ROI and faster insights. Furthermore, the combination of Unified Campaign Management, Amazon Complete TV, and the addition of Programmatic Live Sports inventory provides both a True Full-Funnel View for maximized efficiency and Unrivaled Addressable Reach for building awareness. This momentum will undoubtedly unlock game-changing opportunities for brands and agencies willing to embrace Amazon as their unified ad strategy platform.