Amazon Ads has launched a set of sponsorship solutions aimed at making it easier for brands to collaborate with Twitch streamers.
Twitch Creator Sponsorships will provide streamlined ways for brands to work with streamers without the need to employ an influencer talent agency. Ads can be bought programmatically via Amazon’s demand-side platform (DSP), with activations possible within two weeks.
Given there are countless Twitch streamers serving niche community-based interests, Amazon Ads has also unveiled a free self-service Twitch Creator Matchmaking tool to make it simpler for brands to identify creators who align with their category, target audience, location and budget.
The announcements are being made ahead of the annual TwitchCon Europe event in Rotterdam, starting on Saturday.
According to Amazon Ads EMEA director of sales Krishan Patel, the new tools give brands “a simple, scalable way to engage with streamers and their communities, across gaming, sports, music, lifestyle and more”.
The offering includes four types of inventory, each of which is sold programmatically (alongside all Twitch formats). Given sales are through Amazon’s DSP, brands can utilise all of Amazon Ads’ measurement solutions to understand how Twitch Creator Sponsorships impact sales outcomes and other KPIs.
Among the inventory options for advertisers are display and host-read formats, as well as community-focused promotions. Channel skins are branded graphics that frame the Twitch video player on both web and mobile.
Meanwhile, streamer read-outs offer opportunities for brands to receive real-time feedback to their product (and ad copy) via Twitch’s chat function.
Sponsored subscriptions, on the other hand, are limited time offers to reduce the cost of subscribing to streamers’ channels.
Finally, follower promotions are brand-partnered streams that are automatically boosted to the top of viewers’ following lists to maximise visibility.
Given the relatively low campaign set-up time, Patel added that these formats are intended to get more new-to-Twitch brands testing advertising on the platform.
Equally, such brands can get potentially valuable feedback “on a new product or service, all in real time” via Twitch’s live chat function.
