Cracking the
Advertising Code
How brands are finding new ways to reach their audiences amid a shifting media landscape
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Compared to traditional formats like TV and radio ads, adults last year spent nearly three hours more per day engaging with digital media. By next year, digital is expected to account for almost two-thirds of adults’ media consumption.
This rapidly evolving and increasingly fragmented landscape poses
a challenge for advertisers, but also an opportunity: Brands can
now reach their desired audiences wherever people surf, stream,
and shop — but to engage those audiences, advertisers will need to get creative.
By experimenting with new channels and formats and crafting innovative ad experiences that redefine the traditional parameters
of the brand-to-customer relationship, brands can effectively
engage with their audiences in a new era of media consumption.
The way we consume media is drastically changing.
Media consumption throughout the years
Average time spent per day with digital vs. traditional media by US adults, 2021-2025
Note: ages 18+; digital includes all time spent with internet activities on any device; traditional includes linear TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, printed catalogs, direct mail, cinema, and out-of-home.
Source: eMarketer, June 2023
Below are three brands that cracked the code through innovative, multimedia messaging campaigns — and what they learned.
Partnering with creators and influencers to produce customized content can help you reach new audiences.
1. TIAA
TIAA is a Fortune 100 retirement services provider with a campaign called "Retire Inequality," which educates the public about retirement inequality for underserved communities, including Black Americans. To raise awareness about the fact that 54% of Black Americans retire without enough savings, TIAA partnered with Grammy Award-winning artist Wyclef Jean to produce “Paper Right” — a song with a crucial message about financial security.
But a great song is nothing if no one hears it. That’s why TIAA teamed up with Amazon Ads to amplify the song via a streaming activation that reached audiences across multiple channels, including Amazon Music, Fire TV, and audio ads on Echo devices.
As part of the campaign, TIAA also took advantage of Amazon’s Stream It Forward program: For every stream of “Paper Right,” Amazon donated $1 to TIAA’s nonprofit partner, First Generation Investors, which educates young adults on the importance of financial security. That partnership proved incredibly beneficial, with TIAA reaching its charitable goal within just 48 hours.
Louder than music
54%
of Black Americans retire without enough savings.
Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, 2018
On average, how many hours per week do Americans spend streaming music?
10
20
15
30
How people tune in
Radio
Streaming
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Traditional
Digital
4:18
4:28
4:37
4:53
5:00
7:58
7:46
7:34
7:19
7:01
8:00
6:00
4:00
2:00
0:00
hrs:min
Amanda Maryanna is a content creator and filmmaker, but she’s stuck in an artistic rut. “I haven’t been getting out of my comfort zone enough,” she said. That’s the premise behind “Not Creative,” a recent branded entertainment series by “The Sims” developed with the Brand Innovation Lab at Amazon Ads.
In the new video series, the brand pairs Amanda with established influencers who use the iconic video game to stoke her creative flames — and inspire audiences to embrace their creativity.
Creating buzz around this approach wasn’t hard — the game’s fan base includes people who played the original “SimCity” in 1989 and those who may be newer to the franchise. To reach even more players, "The Sims" worked with Amazon Ads to create a multichannel activation across Fire TV, streaming TV ads, audio ads, and Twitch, reaching audiences across the different activities they engage in and improving the campaign’s overall reach.
Elevate your brand message with a hero’s journey viewers can relate to.
2. The Sims
This campaign succeeded because it…
Measuring campaign performance
Build brand loyalty with interactive experiences.
3. Greenies
Pet wellness company Greenies is known for its dental chews for dogs, but the brand recently expanded its product offerings to include full meals for pets.
To highlight its new dog food, Greenies relied on three key behavioral insights:
Pet owners are open to switching brands.
Nearly one in five Amazon dog parents switched their
pooch’s food because of its ingredients, making
Greenies’ high-protein food especially attractive.
Nutrition is a priority when it comes to buying pet food. Roughly 79% of surveyed Amazon dog parents selected it as their primary point of consideration.
Pet owners tend to purchase foods they believe their dogs like (and they read the reviews).
This is especially true among millennials, the demographic with the highest rate of dog ownership.
Greenies’ problem? It needed to break through a saturated dog
food market. The brand partnered with Amazon Ads to cut through the noise in a way that traditional TV advertising couldn’t.
Understanding the importance of reviews among millennial audiences, Amazon Ads and Greenies created the Dog Interpreter
– a tool that could generate “reviews” from dogs after they eat the food. Here’s how it works: After feeding their dog Greenies, pet owners engage the tool by holding their phone up to their dog. The tool then generates a playful interpretation of what their pup might be thinking.
The first-of-its-kind campaign used real-time generative AI and was built on Amazon Bedrock and Rekognition technology. To create awareness of this fun tool, Greenies produced clever spots that aired on Prime Video and developed online video, audio, and banner ads
that drove users to the brand store page. These tactics helped reengage already-loyal customers and drove repeat purchases.
A creative solution to an industry challenge
Hear the different “woof” sounds and reveal the below translations
Click to play and reveal
Attracted attention.
Created lasting memories.
Shifted perceptions.
Find out how Amazon Ads can help you connect with your audience in new and exciting ways.
Learn more
of millennials read online reviews before buying something.
5 Reasons You Can No Longer Ignore Online Reviews, GetWeave.
93%
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Incorrect!
Correct!
Incorrect!
Incorrect!
91% of Black Americans listen to the radio at least once per month, logging a higher listening time than any other demographic.
Back
Back
On average, Americans in 2024 spend 20 hours and 6 minutes per week streaming music, up by one hour and 42 minutes from 2021.
Millennials love reviews (almost as much as avocado toast), Helpful Crowd.
of pet owners who say they would never buy something without first reading a review.
80%
“That was great.
Can I have another bowl?”
Play woof again
Play woof again
“Yum, my belly is full, full, full.”
Play woof again
“You’re in the doghouse.”
Exploding Topics, Music Streaming Stats, 2024
Attracted attention.
"Not Creative" generated 409 million impressions and a global unique reach of over 72 million customers.
A brand lift study showed a 24-point increase in brand awareness in the US and a 30-point increase in the UK.
Created lasting memories.
71% of US viewers offered a positive sentiment, specifically noting how “The Sims” can inspire creativity.
Shifted perceptions.
2:00
Sponsor content is produced in collaboration with advertisers by Insider Studios, the branded content team at Insider Inc. Insider’s editorial staff is not involved in the creation of this content.
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