That's a really good question, and you're onto something. While Amazon Ads generally pushes for more video adoption, there are a few reasons why your Sponsored Brands Video campaigns might have struggled for spend during a hyper-competitive event like Cyber Monday, even with aggressive bids:
Placement Competition & Prioritization: During huge sales events like Cyber Monday, the ad auction becomes incredibly competitive. Amazon wants to maximize conversions and sales for itself and its advertisers.
Higher Converting Formats: Sponsored Products and potentially even static Sponsored Brands ads might naturally have a higher conversion rate during peak shopping periods. Amazon's algorithms are designed to show the most relevant and likely-to-convert ads. If a Sponsored Products ad is performing exceptionally well for a high-intent keyword, it might win out over a video ad, even with aggressive bids, because it's a more direct path to purchase.
Limited Video Placements: While video placements are growing, they are still fewer compared to standard product ad placements. With an explosion of advertisers all vying for prime real estate, the limited video inventory can get saturated quickly.
User Intent: On Cyber Monday, many shoppers are in "deal-hunting" mode. They're often looking for quick information, prices, and direct links to products to compare. While video is great for brand building and showcasing products, a shopper looking for a lightning deal might not take the time to watch a video, leading to lower engagement on those formats and thus less spend.
Video Creative Acceptance & Quality:
Approval Times: Did your new video creative get approved quickly? Sometimes, during peak times, creative approval processes can slow down.
Video Quality/Engagement: Even if approved, if the video isn't immediately captivating within the first few seconds (remember, they autoplay muted), shoppers might scroll past it quickly. Amazon's system is always evaluating ad performance, and low engagement (even if it's due to high-speed scrolling on a deal day) could lead to less serving.
Budget Allocation by Amazon: Amazon's ad system is always optimizing. If it sees that other ad formats are delivering better ROI for advertisers during that specific high-pressure shopping window, it might naturally prioritize those formats for serving, even if your bids are aggressive on video. It's about maximizing the efficiency of the overall ad platform.
Specific Bidding Strategy for Video:
While aggressive bids are good, did you also consider the targeting for your Sponsored Brands Video campaigns? Were the keywords and products targeted highly relevant to Cyber Monday shoppers?
Sometimes, aggressive bids aren't enough if the underlying audience or keyword targeting isn't perfect for the high-volume, high-intent traffic of a sales event.
In short, yes, it's plausible that video ads, while powerful for brand building, can sometimes get "deprioritized" in the intense, conversion-focused environment of a major sales event like Cyber Monday. Shoppers' behavior shifts to be more direct and deal-oriented, and Amazon's auction system tries to match that intent with the most efficient ad formats.
It's a good learning experience! For future big sales events, consider:
A strong mix of ad formats.
Even more aggressive bids on video, but also very tightly targeted keywords and products.
Ensuring your video creative is exceptionally concise and impactful in the first few seconds, designed for quick consumption.