Pros and Cons of vCPM in Amazon Advertising  [The PPC Den Podcast]

Pros and Cons of vCPM in Amazon Advertising [The PPC Den Podcast]

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Today, Elizabeth Greene and I dove into one of the most misunderstood topics in Amazon advertising — vCPM in Sponsored Brands campaigns. Mike still hears people say how great the low ACOS looks for vCPM, but we broke down why that can be misleading.

We talked about the difference between CPC and vCPM, how attribution works (clicks vs views), and how ACOS is calculated depending on what data source you’re looking at — ad console, bulk files, API, or AMC. We also discussed when vCPM actually makes sense and when it doesn’t. 

Spoiler ⚠️: don’t use it for brand defense.

We walked through how vCPM can become cheaper than CPC if your CTR is high enough, the creative and retargeting advantages it can offer, and why Mike sees less than 5% of ad budgets going to vCPM even in his best accounts.

If you’ve ever been confused about why you can’t switch from vCPM to CPC, or how to measure true performance in SB campaigns  this episode is for you.

We’ll see you in The PPC Den!

Episode Highlights

  • 0:00 – Meet Elizabeth Greene 
  • 2:20 – How to adapt to instability in eCommerce?
  • 5:20 – What do clients expect in 2025?
  • 6:12 – The role of automation: good or bad?
  • 8:05 – How campaign structures changed in 2025?
  • 9:15 – Performance Max and new ad formats on Amazon
  • 13:05 – Why do analytics matter more than ever?
  • 15:22 – Can brands still scale in 2025?
  • 19:00 – Optimization based on click and view attribution
  • 20:00 – How to download a bulk file for analysis of ACoS and other metrics
  • 21:00- Benefits and drawbacks of VCPM campaigns for different brands
  • 22:00 – VCPM campaigns and their potential for brands with unique products
  • 25:00 – Marketing campaigns similar to “Shark Tank” for unique products
  • 26:00 – VCPM with high CTR vs. CPC campaigns
  • 29:00 – High CTR in VCPM campaigns leading to better engagement cost reduction
  • 30:00 – When VCPM campaigns are effective for unique products?

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