Less than a year after its release in beta, Amazon's artificial intelligence-driven video generators are now available to all US advertisers on the e-commerce platform. Fast deployment of solutions that spin half a dozen videos based on product ID input speaks to the equipment competition between digital advertising platforms, especially for medium-sized marketers who are generally unable to buy them, especially when it comes to leveraging generation AI to produce rich media assets.
News announced on Tuesday expands Google's latest updates on VEO AI video tools from May and its generation AI vision, including more aspects of the marketing pipeline. For Amazon, simply named video generators have a number of benefits: they are currently up and running.
“It's real. It's not like a 'coming soon' message,” said Jay Richman, vice president of product and technology at Amazon.
The latest version of Amazon's video generators can create ads that are much more refined than those available during the beta period that began last September. Rather than focusing on static scenes such as a record player sitting at a bare table, technology can emulate realistic movements from virtual models, like the person checking the wrist watch for the time being. Additionally, smoother transitions between animations make it better to tie multiple scenes together, allowing elements such as humans and pets to be included due to dynamism.
“We had to do a lot to avoid hallucinations and constrain the model to improve yield. We were optimizing for floors of creative quality compared to ceilings and ceilings,” says Richman, the early stages of video generators.
The video generator lives in Amazon's sponsored brand campaign builder and can measure six videos in minutes based on the advertiser's input and campaign needs. The backend analyzes the details pages of submitted products, including customer reviews, feeds those factors into the image generator, and sends information to the video model. Advertisers can upload existing media from their libraries, such as social content, product demos, and assets such as logos. Editing tools allow fine-tuned logo placement, fonts and headings while ensuring that the final results match brand-specific guidelines
“We add more control over time, but we're trying to really simplify it,” Richman said.
From a monetization perspective, video generators are free and could appeal to marketers who are facing budget strengthening but are facing ongoing demand for accuracy.
“The by-product business may emerge in the future, but now we just create what our customers love, increase fashion and see the business grow as a result of adoption,” Richman said.
One customer, ad agency BTR Media, explained that using this feature, they provide videos for various product searches, including whether users are looking for chocolate or vanilla protein products. In a statement, BTR Media said the video generator is a “game changer” for its clients.
Stop scroll
Amazon continues to make progress in the development of image generators by souping video generators. This has led to longer time to consume product catalogs from large e-commerce marketplaces since their debut around 18 months ago.
What conveys insights from the testing stage is that half of the products advertised on video generators were not previously promoted, and is an indication that Amazon is putting more brands into its retail media ecosystem through diversifying its media creation capabilities. Capture is clear even outside of the category where video generators are tuned.
“What surprised us is that we are seeing a fair number of large brands that employ the tools,” Richman said.
According to Amazon, sponsored brand campaigns with videos show click-through rates on average, on average. The findings are consistent with the company's bigger push to crack the code for full funnel ads, which has been extended beyond the historic know-how of low-selling media. Amazon revenue from advertising sales rose to $13.92 billion in the first quarter, surpassing analyst estimates.
“The introduction of video makes it much better on average, as scroll stops and value communications can be made,” Richman said.
For now, ads made with video generators run in normal locations where sponsored brand campaigns appear. When asked if there are plans to expand availability to other Amazon-owned properties, such as Prime Video and live streaming service Twitch, Richman emphasized that Amazon will continue to increase its investment and innovation bets in generated AI.
“All I can say is to see this space,” Richman said. “We see the quality curve we are in. We can connect the dots.”
