The mechanics
Keyword-targeted, CPC-billed, runs alongside Sponsored Products at the top of search. Three creative formats: product collection, store spotlight, and video. The video format is the strongest for brand storytelling — autoplaying, muted, in-feed — but takes the most production effort.
The strategic read
Most brands buy Sponsored Brands the same way they buy Sponsored Products: keyword-by-keyword optimization against ACoS. That under-uses the format. Sponsored Brands sit higher on the page, capture more visual attention, and link to a Brand Store rather than a single product page — which means they're better understood as a top-of-funnel demand builder. The ones that perform best are bought against share-of-search and new-to-brand goals, not last-click ROAS. Combined with Sponsored Display retargeting, they form the on-Amazon awareness-to-conversion pair most brands run with too little intent.