Here’s the truth: your branded search is the closest thing to easy money on Amazon… until a competitor hijacks it. Every day you don’t own top of search, you leak clicks, trust, and margin.
Now Amazon is rolling out a switch that flips that dynamic: Reserve share of voice for Sponsored Brands. You lock predictable top-of-search for branded keywords at a fixed upfront price. No guessing. No whiplash. Just steady visibility where it matters most.
If you’ve wished your logo showed up first when shoppers type your brand, this is that. It’s self-serve in the Advertising Console or API, with keyword tips, real-time pricing, and automated invoices. You get control of your front door—and stop paying brand tax when everyone else bids on your name.
Let’s break down what it is, why it’s big, how to measure share of voice like a pro, and where Reserve SOV fits into launch, defense, and seasonal plays.
Think of it like turning your hottest branded demand into a utility—always on, always visible. Then spend your energy and budget where the fight is actually hard: category growth.
Amazon is introducing Reserve share of voice for Sponsored Brands so you can reserve top-of-search for your branded keywords at a fixed upfront price. You’ll show in Sponsored Brands top-of-search for those branded queries most of the time, building a predictable presence when it matters. As Amazon puts it, the solution is fully self-serve for flexibility, autonomy, and transparency. You get keyword recommendations, validation, real-time pricing, campaign management in Console or API, and automated invoices.
In practice, that means fewer swings in your branded visibility. If brand terms drive a big slice of sales, this removes the daily did a competitor jump me stress. Availability and exact workflows can vary by marketplace. If you can run Sponsored Brands and see the option in your region, you can explore and launch in the Advertising Console or through the Amazon Ads API.
Who this fits:
Top-of-search grabs intent while it’s hottest. Branded queries are high signal. The shopper already knows you. If a competitor sits above your logo, you pay twice—lost sale now and to win them back later. Reserve SOV de-risks that moment with steady, reliable visibility.
This isn’t just defensive ego. It’s compounding effects:
Picture this: a shopper types your brand, sees a competitor Sponsored Brand up top, clicks, then buys their trial size. Next month, they search the category, not your brand. That tiny leak today becomes a bigger hole tomorrow. Reserve SOV plugs that hole before it becomes habit.
The economics are simple. If your branded leakage and the volatility tax you pay in auctions is more than the reserve price, the fixed fee is a discount on certainty. Even if it’s close, planning stability can be worth it. Forecasting, inventory, and cash flow all benefit from fewer surprises.
Use Reserve SOV to build a moat around your name. Then move auction-based budgets toward upper and mid-funnel growth. Control your front door; test your backyard.
To fuel that upper and mid-funnel push, consider DSP Services for scalable reach and retargeting, while Reserve SOV anchors branded demand.
Predictability is a feature, not a bug becomes your operating system for branded search.
Here’s a simple reallocation model:
You’re shifting from constant defense to controlled offense. When your brand door is secured, it’s easier to push into new subcategories, seasonal bundles, and competitive conquesting without worrying you’re bleeding on your own name.
In plain English: share of voice is how much visibility you own versus competitors in a defined space. On Amazon, that space could be your branded keywords, a product subcategory, or a curated list of high-intent queries. SOV often uses impression share or click share as the numerator, and the competitive total as the denominator.
For branded defense, the scope is your brand terms. For growth, it might be a set of generic keywords.
Impression share shows who is visible. Click share shows who wins attention. Both matter. On brand terms, impression share is a strong stability signal. On generic terms, click share reveals who has the better creative and offer.
Need deeper cohort-level analysis and incrementality modeling? AMC Cloud helps activate Amazon Marketing Cloud to quantify new-to-brand and cross-channel lift.
A practical setup you can run in a spreadsheet or BI tool:
Quality control tips:
On branded terms, stability beats spikes. You want predictable presence that reduces leakage. On generic terms, consistency with gradual expansion is the goal. Track SOV alongside cost per incremental new-to-brand customer so the pie grows, not just re-slices.
Signs you’re on track:
Start with the obvious: your brand name, common misspellings, and top sub-brands or hero SKUs. The tool recommends high-traffic branded keywords and lets you validate them before reserving. Prioritize queries with steady volume and clean intent. Avoid ambiguous overlaps if your brand name is a common noun.
Pro tip: cluster terms by intent—brand-only, brand plus category, brand plus model. Reserve clusters that drive the most incremental revenue or protect the most leakage.
Add a quick triage:
Audit quarterly. As you launch new SKUs or lines, add their branded variants to your reserve set. Retire terms with low volume or high confusion.
You’ll see real-time pricing before you commit, pay a fixed upfront price, then get most-of-the-time top-of-search Sponsored Brands presence for those keywords. It’s not a guarantee on every impression. You still want strong bids and relevance elsewhere. But the moat is built where it counts: the high-intent front door.
Plan the spend like insurance. If your historical brand defense cost and leakage-to-competitors exceed the reserve price, you’re buying certainty at a discount.
A simple back-of-the-napkin check:
Watch for:
You control the canvas: brand logo, headline, and multi-ASIN layout or video. Use Store Spotlight or product collections to route traffic. Crisp headlines that mirror the query, lifestyle imagery that signals quality, and a hero SKU above the fold usually drive stronger CTR. Build a dedicated Store landing path for branded terms so traffic doesn’t bounce. Learn Sponsored Brands formats and best practices here: Sponsored Brands.
Creative checklist:
Operational hygiene:
If competitors show above your brand on your own terms, every lost click hurts. Reserve SOV reduces that leak, steadies ROAS, and protects halo effects into organic. Treat it like a fixed utility cost to keep the lights on at your front door.
Add a basic defense routine:
New product? Bundle? Limited edition? Reserve SOV locks your brand presence while you shift auction budgets to non-branded discovery. Pair the reserved spot with a Store module featuring launch tiles, comparison charts, and a short video. This buys attention density without overpaying for every single click.
Make launches stick:
Prime events, holidays, back-to-school—these windows bring volatility. Locking branded top-of-search reduces chaos. Layer category pushes on top while corralling branded demand into your Store. Think of Reserve SOV as the stabilizer bar so you can drive faster without rolling over.
Before big peaks:
Peter Drucker said, what gets measured gets managed. Schedule a simple weekly dashboard: branded SOV, new-to-brand, Store conversion, and contribution margin. If stability improves and leakage drops, keep the reserve. If not, refine your keyword set, creative, or Store flow.
Reserve SOV locks predictable top-of-search visibility for specific branded keywords at a fixed upfront price. Traditional bidding competes in auctions where placement and cost can change by the minute. Reserve SOV cuts that volatility for your highest-intent terms.
No. Reserve SOV aims to secure top-of-search for your reserved branded queries most of the time, not all the time. You still benefit from strong creative, relevance, and a healthy account structure.
Advertisers eligible for Sponsored Brands in supported locales. Typically, vendors and sellers in Amazon Brand Registry. If you can run Sponsored Brands and have access in your region, you can explore Reserve SOV in the Advertising Console or via API.
Track branded SOV using impression and click share, plus outcome metrics: new-to-brand customers, Store conversion, revenue per session, and contribution margin. Benchmark before reserving, then compare two to four weeks post-launch. Watch for less competitor leakage and steadier CPCs on branded terms.
There’s no direct guarantee. But reliable traffic and sales from high-intent placements can lift sales velocity and engagement signals. Over time, that can correlate with stronger organic performance—especially if your Store and product pages convert well.
Yes. You can launch and manage campaigns through the Advertising Console or the Amazon Ads API, with keyword recommendations, validation, real-time pricing, and automated invoices.
Often, yes—but with intention. Keep enough Sponsored Products to capture lower placements and product detail page traffic, especially on hero SKUs. After reserving, reduce redundant bids on the exact same branded queries where you already have strong top-of-search Sponsored Brands coverage.
Tighten your keyword list. Exclude ambiguous variants and lean into brand plus category or brand plus model phrases where intent clearly means you. Your goal is to reserve queries that mean your brand, not the generic word.
It can still work if your branded volume is modest. The key is comparing reserve price to the volatility tax you pay today. If you don’t see hijacks or instability, you might wait. If you do, the reserve buys certainty you can build on.
1) Confirm Sponsored Brands eligibility and Brand Registry status. 2) List branded keywords: brand, sub-brands, hero SKUs, and common misspellings. 3) In Console or via API, review recommended branded keywords; validate intent. 4) Check real-time pricing; shortlist terms with the best traffic-to-price ratio. 5) Select format (product collection, Store Spotlight, or video) and match creative to queries. 6) Route traffic to a branded Store page optimized for conversion and cross-sell. 7) Reserve and launch; set up automated invoices and alerts. 8) Monitor weekly: SOV, CTR, new-to-brand, Store conversion, and margin. Iterate.
Add a 10-minute QA before you go live:
Post-launch, run a simple test plan:
When you buy certainty where intent is highest, your whole account gets calmer—and stronger. Reserve SOV for Sponsored Brands is a simple idea with a big payoff. Turn your branded search into a utility you can count on. Then spend your creative and dollars on growth where it’s hardest. Lock the front door, open the windows, and build without the daily auction whiplash.
Reserve your name, then earn the category. Predictability for profit; volatility for growth.