Observed Signal · Aug 18, 2026 · Analysis · Source: The Drum · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Amazon's Media Plan Reveals Ad Spend Priorities
This analysis of three years of tracked media buys (via Sensor Tower) shows where Amazon actually places advertising dollars. Sensor Tower estimates Amazon spent $7.39bn on tracked US media over three years and $2.69bn in 2025. Roughly half of Amazon’s tracked spend markets the store and retargeting, with substantial budgets for Prime Video and Prime subscriptions. The largest single line item is Meta (Facebook + Instagram), and combined with linear TV these account for about 52% of tracked buys. Over the period Amazon shifted formats — swapping display for video (desktop video share rose from 6.8% to 17.3%) — while keeping overall impression volumes broadly flat. Amazon also ran small test budgets in emerging conversational ad placements (ChatGPT ads) from April–August 2026.
Data-driven breakdown of how the largest retail-media advertiser allocates budget, the industry-wide shift from display to video, and early testing in conversational ad channels — useful for media planning and retail media strategy.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Sensor Tower estimates Amazon spent $7.39bn on tracked US media over three years.
- Amazon spent $2.69bn on tracked ads in the US in 2025.
- Meta (Facebook + Instagram) plus linear television accounted for about 52% of Amazon’s tracked ad buys in the referenced year.
- Tracked spend rose 17.3% over three years while tracked impressions rose 2.1%; desktop impressions were 38.6bn in 2023 and 38.2bn in 2025; desktop video share rose from 6.8% to 17.3%.
- Since April 2026 Amazon has maintained a small test presence in ChatGPT ad placements tracked by Sensor Tower (April–August 2026).
Connected Companies & Entities
5 Entities mapped“Amazon is one of the biggest ad sellers on earth....”
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