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For more than two decades, Amazon has been helping sellers worldwide. The platform allows retailers to use their online marketplace to sell their products and automatically gives them access to its enormous customer base. Amazon even lets sellers place Amazon’s logo or trademarks on their advertisements as long as they comply with Amazon brand guidelines.
Amazon PPC optimization is not just about adjusting bids and using high-converting keywords. You must also enhance the appearance of your ads, like the CTAs, colors, images, and logos. One of the foolproof ways of attracting more customers is placing an Amazon brand logo on your PPC campaign. However, you can't do it out of whim or as you please.
This article will discuss some of Amazon brand guidelines you must keep in mind to avoid being penalized and where you can use their logo for your Amazon PPC marketing campaigns.
"You may not use any Amazon logos or other Amazon trademarks, other than the Badge, in your online or offline marketing materials (including product listings on Amazon websites) unless you have written permission from Amazon."
We got you there, right? You almost lost hope at the "You may not use any Amazon logos or other Amazon trademarks..." But as you continue reading, the "...unless you have written permission from Amazon" part put that smile back on your face.
What is the moral lesson?
Read and understand Amazon's rules and guidelines from top to bottom and front to back. Otherwise, you may miss an opportunity to put an Amazon logo on your ad, or get penalized just because you're not aware of their terms of service.
Now, let us go back to the quote above. It is not just a quote, but rather, one of the hundreds of rules Amazon has laid out for its sellers. It states there that you must have written permission from Amazon before using logos, trademarks, or any Amazon branding elements. Moreover, you must follow the guidelines below:
As a review, call to action or CTA is a short phrase in an advertisement that tells customers what action to take after they click a PPC ad. For example, an Amazon PPC marketing ad with "Add to Cart" as its CTA, should direct the customer to a View Cart page.
Overall, the recommended CTAs in the Amazon brand guidelines are as follows:
Meanwhile, here are allowed Amazon-branded text links:
If you're planning to use Amazon-branded text link, follow these standards:
1. CTA elements like arrow, text, and underline have the same base color.
2. The CTA complements the promotional graphic.
3. The CTA stands out from the Amazon PPC marketing ad.
You may also use Amazon-branded button CTAs when text links aren't visible enough. It includes "Add to Cart," "Add to Wish List," "Shop now," and "Clip coupon." However, you can only use these on eCommerce ads and should be displayed based on Amazon brand guidelines. The reason behind this is because Amazon's brand buttons are an essential part of the shopping experience on the platform.
The word "Amazon" should be in the title case (all capitals or lowercase not allowed).
Amazon uses a variety of gimmicks on their platform to encourage customers to make a purchase. You may also use these proprietary phrases and terms, but requires Amazon's permission first:
But when one of these terms is used in a blog post, you don't need Amazon's approval.
If your Amazon PPC marketing campaign has similar colors as Amazon's brand colors, it must be slightly different from the Amazon.com page to make it stand out. For your reference, here are the specific Amazon brand colors:
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| Source: Screengrab from Amazon.com |
Furthermore, you can't use both in any graphical treatment if your goal is to imitate the Amazon brand.
You could not mistake that signature orange "smirk" from anywhere. And the way it connects the letters "a" and "z"? Brilliant. This is why Amazon fights tooth and nail to guard its precious logo. They also set standards on how it must look like in a co-branded campaign, as follows:
The logo should be no smaller than 1" wide for print or 72 pixels on screen.
It is the space around the logo, and it is based on the logo's bold letter 'o.' It looks like this:
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| Source: Screengrab from Amazon.com |
Amazon's corporate colors are Black and Amazon Orange. Amazon doesn't allow screens of either color. When the logo moves to one-color, only the black or white smile is permitted and never gray.
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| Source: Screengrab from Amazon.com |
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| Source: Screengrab from Amazon.com |
Besides, you should not alter the appearance or proportion of the logo. Use the guidelines below:
Additionally, you must seek approval from the Amazon brand team if you want to use only the logo’s arrow or smile.
Amazon brand guidelines also include the rules when selecting a photo for your PPC ads:
You may use the guidelines above as a part of your weekly Amazon PPC optimization. It may not improve your Amazon CPC (cost per click) right away. Yet adding an Amazon brand logo may be a magnet for clicks and conversions. Now, let us discuss what you have been itching to know about, and that is…
We've established that you must secure written approval from Amazon before using its official branding materials like logos, CTAs, colors, etc. But where can you use them? This is where the concept of co-branding enters the picture.
In co-branding, you can add an Amazon brand logo or any branding elements in your PPC ad. But here's the catch: you can only use it off Amazon. It is highly discouraged to use the logo on Amazon. Why? Customers might mistake it as a product offering of Amazon itself. Moreover, it avoids misrepresentation of the Amazon logo so it won't deceive or mislead consumers.
The Amazon advertising products you can use outside its marketplace are Sponsored Display ads and Amazon DSP (Demand-side Platform).
You don't need to be an Amazon PPC expert to understand why the no. 1 online marketplace is adamant about protecting its intellectual property. They even set detailed Amazon brand guidelines that you must know like the back of your hand. It is not only for the sake of lowering your Amazon CPC, because following their guidelines is crucial to keep selling on Amazon. Otherwise, all your hard work will be down the drain.
If you want to understand more about Amazon brand guidelines, Seller Interactive has experienced Amazon PPC experts willing to help you with your Amazon PPC concerns. Email us at [email protected] or [email protected] today.
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