I was delighted to catch up with Michael Facchin, the CEO of Ad Badger, a software company focused on Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising. Michael shares the origin story of Ad Badger, discussing his background in PPC and how he transitioned into Amazon advertising. He mentions the importance of incorporating Amazon into an overall marketing strategy for e-commerce brands rather than viewing it as a separate channel.
We discuss how Amazon’s unique ecosystem, with its commission fees and the influence of paid advertising on organic placement, requires a different approach to setting advertising goals. Michael emphasizes the value of aggressive advertising strategies on Amazon and mentions that competitive conquest campaigns, which target a competitor’s ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number), can be effective. These campaigns may be more expensive but can capture potential customers who have already shown interest in similar products. Michael advises tracking these campaigns, setting specific goals, and recognizing the benefits of gaining market share in addition to direct sales.
We touch on topics such as competitive conquest, audience-based targeting, influencer marketing, bid optimization, and the importance of Prime Day promotions. Michael cites the concept of brand-tailored promotions as a new and exciting strategy for customizing marketing on Amazon to different audience segments. These strategies vary from increasing bids and budgets for Prime Day, leveraging brand referral bonuses with influencers, to taking advantage of Amazon’s different promotional options.
We then converse about the importance of price differentiation, the potential pitfalls of overusing promotions, and how being price-sensitive is crucial for Amazon shoppers. The conversation also delves into the significance of campaign structure in optimizing Amazon campaigns, and Michael recommends a community called “Core Community” for discussing and sharing Amazon marketing insights. In terms of upcoming trends, Michael is excited about monitoring the increasing price sensitivity on Amazon and plans to update the bidding algorithm while exploring the relationship between PPC and SEO on the platform.
