By Carl Wartzack, CEO, WBX
Amazon Ads has quietly become one of the most powerful engines in digital advertising. In 2024, it generated more than $50 billion in revenue, and with the recent Netflix partnership, it’s clear that Amazon isn’t just competing anymore — it’s reshaping the landscape.
Who Wins in Amazon’s Rise?
The obvious winner is Amazon itself. With authenticated user data, purchase intent signals, and premium inventory across retail and streaming, Amazon’s DSP offers something no one else can: efficient, measurable campaigns tied directly to purchase outcomes.
Advertisers also benefit. Closed-loop attribution means impressions are connected to sales, not just clicks. And with Netflix now folded into Amazon’s ecosystem, brands gain streamlined access to some of the most valuable connected TV inventory available.
Premium streamers win as well. Netflix and Roku, for example, get access to Amazon’s massive advertiser base without having to build out their own global sales infrastructure.
Who Loses?
Independent DSPs like The Trade Desk face headwinds. For years, they positioned themselves as neutral alternatives to the big walled gardens. But if premium streaming inventory flows directly through Amazon, that value proposition weakens. Neutrality still matters, but scale and access may matter more.
Smaller publishers also risk losing ground. As ad dollars consolidate into Amazon, Netflix, and other large platforms, independents could see budgets shrink further — especially as AI-driven search disrupts traffic to traditional publishers.
Even giants like Alphabet and Meta aren’t immune. Amazon is cutting into retail search, product ads, and now streaming video. For brands, the choice between “awareness” on YouTube or Facebook versus awareness + purchase intent on Amazon is becoming clearer.
The Bigger Picture
Amazon is building a vertically integrated ad ecosystem. From retail media to Prime Video and now Netflix, it controls the data advertisers crave and much of the premium inventory they want to buy. That combination — data + content + measurement — makes Amazon Ads one of the most powerful platforms in existence.
The trend is clear: consolidation around scale players who can deliver reach, relevance, and results.
The WBX Point of View
At WBX, we see this as both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is for brands that still treat retail media as a siloed channel. The opportunity is for those ready to embrace Amazon’s ecosystem holistically — from retail ads to connected TV.
Our role is to help brands:
- Build strategies that integrate retail media, streaming, and display into one system
- Leverage Amazon DSP for full-funnel impact
- Optimize campaigns to deliver measurable commerce outcomes
Amazon isn’t just playing in advertising anymore. It’s setting the rules. The brands that adapt to this new reality — with the right strategy, execution, and partners — will be the ones that win.
Let’s build what’s next.